For the first time, Sun Shuttle will expand its services and provide public transportation to the Picture Rocks area.
The one-year pilot program will launch on Oct. 24, a news release from Sun Shuttle said. Since at least 14% of the Picture Rocks population has unmet transportation needs, community members have spoken up about the importance of public transportation to provide access to social services, medical services and employment opportunities.
βThe Regional Transportation Authority has listened to residents of Picture Rocks and their call for public transportation,β RTA Executive Director Farhad Moghimi said in the news release. βWe are interested in working with the community through this pilot project to test the interest in using Sun Shuttle. We encourage residents to provide their input at the upcoming meeting to be part of the process to deliver the best possible service to the community.β
The pilot program will provide service to destinations such as the park-and-ride at the local Dollar General, Safeway, the Tucson Premium Outlets and connection points to additional transit routes.
βThis pilot program is part of our ongoing commitment to providing quality transit service throughout southern Arizona,β Moghimi said. βThe shuttle service will be open to anyone, and will be a great time to try this neighborhood transit option.β
Program managers will use the pilot program to assess the success of the service and evaluate how to best serve the area after the year-long pilot, the news release said. The transit fares for the service will remain free through Dec. 31.
Community members are encouraged to attend an input meeting on Monday, Sept. 19, as transit planners are working out the schedule and frequency of the new service and need help from the public. The meeting will be from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. at the Picture Rocks Community Center, located at 5615 N. Sanders Road.
