Sun Tran bus in downtown Tucson.
The Regional Transportation Authority says express bus ridership hasn’t fully recovered to pre-pandemic levels.
That’s despite high fuel prices and companies returning to in-person work.
The five most popular of the 12 routes averaged about 70 riders per weekday in 2019. They’ve all fallen to below half, with only one averaging above 20 riders per weekday.
Sun Tran Spokesperson Cindy Glysson said many riders now work from home or are on a hybrid schedule.
"We're still continuously making adjustments to the routes so that the service matches the current level of usage," she said.
She encouraged those on a hybrid schedule to take advantage of the service, especially as it’s free and will stay that way through the end of the year.
Sun Tran is also conducting surveys on ridership and fares to prepare to start charging for services again in 2023.
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