Bus rapid transit systems doesn't exist in Arizona. This Tucson plan could change that

For Tucson residents who ride Sun Tran, drive through central Tucson, or depend on transit to reach school and work, a planned five mile bus route could bring a faster and more frequent option to one of the city’s busiest corridors. Tucson is developing what would be among Arizona’s first bus rapid transit systems, connecting the Ronstadt Transit Center downtown with Tucson Mall. Service is projected to begin around 2031, but the project remains in planning and still depends on federal funding and further public input.

The proposed line would include about eight stops, including Pima Community College’s downtown campus, and buses would arrive approximately every 10 minutes. Unlike conventional bus service, the system would use larger vehicles with distinct branding, dedicated lanes separated from regular traffic, level boarding platforms, traffic signal priority and fare payment before passengers board. Those features are intended to make boarding quicker and reduce delays caused by traffic and frequent stops.

Ian Sansom, a Tucson transit administrator, said a standard bus can take roughly 30 minutes to travel the corridor because it stops so often. The rapid bus service is expected to complete the trip in about 20 minutes, making it more competitive with driving. The project would give Tucson a new type of transit service at a time when Arizona has no operating bus rapid transit systems. Phoenix is also planning a rapid bus route between the former Metrocenter Mall area and downtown along 35th Avenue and Van Buren Road, with that project also expected in the early 2030s.

Tucson officials are seeking feedback as they refine the design. The city is holding an open house at Pima Community College on Monday evening, where residents can comment in person. Online comments will be accepted through Dec. 9. The city is waiting for a grant from the Federal Transit Administration before the project can move forward. The estimated cost is about $140 million, with the federal government expected to provide roughly 60 percent and the local share coming through the Pima County Regional Transportation Authority’s RTA Next plan.

That connection to RTA Next is significant because the rapid bus line was one of the plan’s most visible transit expansions. Voters approved the measure in March, extending Pima County’s half cent sales tax for another 20 years. The broader package totals $2.67 billion for roads, transit and pedestrian improvements, including $726 million for public transportation. Of that amount, $70 million is designated for the Tucson Mall to downtown rapid bus project, which must be paired with federal money to be completed.

RTA Next also supports the existing transit network, not just the new line. The original RTA tax, approved in 2006, helped expand Sun Tran with weekend, late night and express service and helped create the Sun Link streetcar. The new plan provides money to continue many of those services, as well as paratransit that reaches beyond Tucson’s city limits. It includes $51 million for Tucson’s transit safety plan, including additional private security, more police deployments and improvements such as lighting at bus stops, along with $25 million for expanded service in South Tucson.

The measure was not without controversy. Supporters argued that renewing the tax was necessary to prevent major cuts and preserve transportation improvements across the county. Tucson transportation officials previously warned that losing RTA funding could force buses on some routes to run every 30 minutes instead of every 15, eliminate some express routes and reduce paratransit and shuttle service. RTA money supplied more than $21 million to local transit in fiscal year 2026, nearly one quarter of Tucson’s transit funding when combined with the city’s general fund contribution.

Opponents, including transportation planners, pedestrian advocates and some former local officials, argued that the plan remains too focused on widening roads and encouraging driving. They said the rapid bus investment was too small compared with the needs identified in Tucson’s Move Tucson transportation plan. Living Streets Alliance, Tucson Deserves Better and other critics also questioned locking the region into a 20 year program after the original plan was affected by the 2008 recession, the COVID 19 pandemic, rising construction costs and lower than expected tax revenue. Seven roadway projects from the first RTA plan remain unfinished, requiring an additional $257 million under the new proposal.

The debate has raised broader questions about how Tucson should pay for and govern transit. Critics have proposed a dedicated transit funding source and a regional authority structured more like Valley Metro in Maricopa County, where local communities have also used their own sales taxes to expand service. University of Arizona urban planning professor Arlie Adkins said other regions devote more of their transportation programs to transit expansion, while former Tucson transportation planner Albert Elias argued that Tucson’s general fund leaves transit competing annually with public safety, parks and other city priorities. For now, RTA Next provides the local match needed for Tucson’s proposed rapid bus line. If federal funding arrives and planning stays on schedule, the project could give Tucson its first bus rapid transit service and establish a model for faster, more frequent public transportation elsewhere in Arizona.