Article Summary –
Tucson will use an $11.38 million Federal Transit Administration grant to enhance all 2,200 city bus stops with improvements such as new signage, shelters, call boxes, information kiosks, and bus lifts, without needing local tax dollars. Eighty new bus shelters will be installed along major heat corridors to help keep passengers cool, and the upgrades include new braille and wayfinding signage. The grant is part of a larger effort, supported by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, to address climate change, accessibility, and equity, and has contributed to Tucson building the largest electric bus fleet in the Southwest since 2019.
Eighty new bus shelters along major heat corridors in Tucson will be installed to help keep waiting passengers cool.
Every city bus stop in Tucson will soon see enhancements, thanks to an $11.38 million grant that funds the improvements without local tax dollars.
Here’s how the money will be spent:
- New accessible signage
- New bus shelters
- New call boxes
- New information kiosks
- New bus lifts
“All 2,200 bus stops will be getting new, accessible signage,” said Davita Mueller, director of service, planning, and development at Sun Tran.
Eighty new bus shelters along major heat corridors will also be installed to help keep waiting passengers cool, and all stops will see new braille and wayfinding signage.
Two new bus lifts will allow Tucson to maintain more buses, saving money in the future, according to Tucson City Manager Tim Thomure.
“This will help keep our fleet in good repair and reduce the need to rely on our general fund for these types of investments,” Thomure said.
The $11 million grant comes from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA). Since 2019, Tucson has won $489 million from the FTA—enabling the city to build the largest electric bus fleet in the Southwest.
“We are grateful to our congressional delegation and the Biden/Harris administration for this funding through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law,” Tucson Mayor Regina Romero said in a press release.
“This is an investment we haven’t seen in decades. Investments like these address today’s challenges: climate change, accessibility, equity, disinvestment.”
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