The Tucson City Council will decide whether or not to reinstate public transit fares. The council are discussing it during their regular meeting on Tuesday evening. The transit fees were suspended in March of 2020 to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19 and help families financially.
Since then, the city has voted five times to extend the pause. The council and mayor are deciding whether or not to bring back the pre-pandemic fares. For the Sun Link, it would be $1.60 per rider and for the Sun Express, it would be $2.35 per rider.
Local transit users near the University of Arizona campus like Jess Collins said it’s important to keep the transit system accessible to everyone. She uses it nearly every day.
“It’s a vital part of transportation here for a lot of people,” she said.
If they bring back the fares, she said she probably wouldn’t be able to use it as much.
“I would think twice about using it because it would really cut into my budget,” Collins said.
This is an ongoing story. Check back for updates.