By
Rachael Myer
Arizona Daily Wildcat
Tucson City Council approves deal to divvy up Sun Tran cost
As expected, the Tucson City Council approved a deal between the city and UA yesterday, where the two sides will split the bill for a shuttle service to UA football games.
The UA will pay $20,000 to help bring the Sun Tran football shuttle service out of debt and the city will pick up the rest of the tab.
The Tucson City Council unanimously agreed on the proposal yesterday, which was suggested by University of Arizona President Peter Likins.
This year's Sun Tran football shuttle service debt is estimated to be $40,000.
Council members agreed the UA will pay $20,000, and the city will foot the rest of the bill, which could be anywhere from $10,000, $20,000 or more, said Republican councilman Fred Ronstadt.
The agreement is for only this year.
"Over the next year, we are going to come up with a better solution. Fundamentally, this is a Band-Aid," said Ronstadt, who represents ward six, which includes the UA area.
The agreement will protect the neighborhoods near the campus from experiencing too much traffic, said Jaime Gutierrez, UA community relations assistant vice president. He expects UA neighbors will be pleased with the decision since they have expressed Sun Tran importance in the past.
Gutierrez also said the plan is a "compromise" for the UA and the city.
The Sun Tran service is in debt because operation costs are so expensive, Ronstadt said.
Passenger fares covers about 22 percent of the operational costs and the rest is paid by federal, state or local taxes, Ronstadt said. The fare was raised to $4 from $3.
An average of 3,500 people rode the shuttle service last year, depending on the game and time of the football season, Gutierrez said.
The Sun Tran football shuttle service will pick up riders at three locations instead of five to save costs. The three locations are Interstate 19 and Irvington, the Tucson Mall, 4500 N. Oracle Rd., and Park Mall, 5870 E. Broadway Blvd.
The Sun Tran football shuttle service has been operating more than five years, said Carol W. West, a Democratic councilwoman.
West remembers a woman who lived near campus complained that cars parked in her driveway prohibited medical crews from helping her husband after a heartache. The incident helped initiate the Sun Tran football shuttle service, she said.
"I see this as sort of public relations, and I think the university should be participating," West said of the agreement.
Andrew Greenhill, Tucson Mayor Bob Walkup's spokesman, said he was glad the UA and the city reached a way to run the football shuttle service together.
"The city believes it's an important public service for us to provide the Sun Tran service," Greenhill said.
