In Support of Free Transit in Tucson

Written By Guest User
 
 

In the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, many US cities, including Tucson, joined the growing number of communities worldwide to offer fare-free transit. Changes were made to support personal safety precautions and to relieve an economic stressor for families and essential workers. Due in large part to the work of local activists, some of these cities have chosen to maintain a free public transportation system permanently. In the time since Kansas City, Missouri first voted to offer free public transit to all riders, a coalition came together to advocate for the service, finding that the majority of riders surveyed said that they were able to shop for food and see healthcare providers more frequently because of fare-free buses.

In 2020, Tucson eliminated fares for Sun Tran buses, the Sun Link streetcar, Sun Van service and all other public transportation, through a combination of federal grant money and general funds.

Now, the city must decide whether to continue to provide this vital service at no cost to transit users.

Student riders board Sun Tran, May 16, 2022. Credit: Michael McKisson for AZ Luminaria

Public transportation is the most efficient way to move urban populations. Buses take up far less road space than private vehicles to carry the same number of passengers, resulting in fewer pollutants and less traffic. This is a moment for Tucson, a city that has just completed outreach on a new Climate Action and Adaptation plan, to emerge as a leader among peer (and larger) cities by increasing investment into our transit system. More accessible transit can help us reach the goal of “community-wide carbon neutrality by 2045” outlined in the Resilient Together plan. 

Car travel is currently the dominant form of transportation in Tucson, where almost three out of four workers drive to work alone. While many of today’s Tucson residents rarely ride the bus— often citing lack of convenience or lengthy wait times— current and future generations could benefit from increased mobility through public transit, if it continues to evolve to serve them. 

Why should transit be free?

Concerns about funding to support this policy have dominated conversations around the proposal. Previous to 2020, money collected at the farebox paid for only about one-tenth of the costs of maintaining Tucson’s transit system, with the remainder subsidized by taxpayers. Much like libraries and parks, public transportation is largely funded by taxes. What would it look like for transportation to be available to all in the same manner as these familiar, public goods?

When considering transportation investment, it’s important to note that automobile travel is also heavily subsidized in the United States. Unlike the common belief, American drivers don’t fully pay for the roads they use through gas taxes. In fact, “households bear on average an additional burden of more than $1,100 per year in taxes and other costs imposed by driving.” This includes covering the costs of constructing and maintaining roads, and the cost of negative externalities associated with driving such as traffic crashes and pollution-related health problems. Through a myriad of legal and financial policies, driving is “subsidized, preferenced or otherwise favored” to a far greater degree than of the transit investments currently being considered. 

Of course, there are other big questions about implementing a zero fare model to be examined and addressed. These include the safety of riders and drivers, quality of service and return on investment. Usability of the system must be considered at every stage; these problems require multi-sector and visionary solutions. The way forward now is to make transit free and simultaneously invest in making it better. We need to invest where it matters in order to meet the challenges that face us as a community. Budgets, as it has often been said, are moral documents. 


Buses parked at the Ronstadt Transit Center, May 19, 2022. Credit: Michael McKisson for AZ Luminaria

Free transit makes it easier for people to access the benefits of public transportation.

Climate Resilience

More people using public transportation means fewer greenhouse gas emissions, less stress on our roads and infrastructures, and less tax money spent on road widenings and other environmentally-destructive projects. Personal vehicles account for two-thirds of transportation-related emissions; buses are far more fuel efficient. Taking the bus instead of commuting by car for a 20-mile round trip daily can lower a person’s carbon footprint by 4,800 pounds each year. Trains, streetcars and other transit options are even more efficient in reducing personal emissions! 

Unfortunately, we’re in a situation where we need to incentivize behaviors that reduce our collective climate impact. Our tax dollars should be spent in a way that supports us in doing that, while making these choices dignified and convenient. 

Equity 

Entrenched racial, economic and social inequities impinge on the human right to mobility in cities like Tucson. By design, the US interstate highway system tore mostly through communities of color, proliferating the concentration of poverty and racial and economic segregation in cities. Decades of racist policies and planning have resulted in transportation and development patterns that favor wealthy and white neighborhoods, as well as multi-car households. 

Transportation is the second largest expense category (after housing) for American households, and owning a car is expensive. As most Americans are living paycheck to paycheck, any reduction in monthly expenditures helps in meeting other financial needs. While the median household income in Pima county was $59,215 in 2021, 87% of local transit passengers surveyed in 2022 reported an annual household income of below $50,000. This means that fares (including economy fares) would be collected from those who can least afford it, and whose lifestyles are often contributing the least to Tucson’s overall climate impact. 

Better public transit means everyone has more options to get around, and free transit provides immediate benefit for the many people who already rely on it. According to the 2022 On Board Survey conducted with Sun Tran, Sun Link, and Sun Shuttle passengers, over 40% of weekday passengers in Tucson indicated that they take transit every day, and almost 70% indicated that they did not have a vehicle available for their current trip. 

“Especially when we’re seeing rent increases, housing costs going up, food costs going up, inflation gas, all of it, it’s one less thing for families to worry about.”
— Ward 1 Council Member Santa Cruz (6/7/22, KGUN9.com)

Disproportionately, those who depend on public transportation include minoritized populations, people who live in urban areas of historic disinvestment and ‘essential workers’. According to the Pew Research Center, lower-income, Black, and Hispanic/Latino/x Americans are more likely to take public transit on a regular basis nationwide. Locally, the On-Board Survey revealed that Black and Native American riders made up a significantly larger share of transit riders compared to their share of Tucson’s population. Fare enforcement and penalties also disproportionately affect Black and Brown riders, especially youth, perpetuating patterns of racial injustice and over-policing in the access of vital public services. 

Public transportation can provide greater mobility for those who cannot or choose not to drive. This includes youth, the elderly, people with disabilities, and people with previous legal convictions, among others. Folks living with disabilities utilize public transit twice as often, compared to folks without disabilities.

Safety & Health

Here in Tucson, we’re witnessing a traffic fatality crisis on our streets. Ninety nine lives were lost last year due to crashes, with many more people seriously injured. Car-centric planning presents one of the highest dangers to health and safety in modern life; both for people in vehicles and for people walking or using other modes of transportation. Research shows that public transit trips are 10 times safer than car trips and communities with transit-oriented development are five times safer than auto-oriented communities.

Compared to personal vehicles, public transportation produces less air pollution and reduces associated health hazards. Access to public transportation can support physical and mental health by connecting people with medical care, food options, community resources, social connections and recreational activities. Taking public transit to work instead of operating a vehicle gives people commuting an opportunity to prepare for or decompress from the day, read, listen to music, or have a few moments to themselves. Walking to and from a bus stop can easily provide the 30 minutes a day of movement recommended to help reduce risks of illness and health complications. 

Economic Benefits

According to the American Public Transit Association, investment in public transit can offer a 5 to 1 economic return. Easily accessible public transit can make it easier for people to get to work, as well as reach and spend money at local businesses. Free public transit supports Tucson’s tourism industry and associated commerce, which can ultimately contribute to sales taxes that fund our social services. It also supports students to further their education in our middle and high school systems, colleges and universities, and workforce development programs.

Accessibility & Convenience

The ability to board the bus or streetcar at any time without accounting for fare payment greatly reduces friction in making the choice to ride transit. People are busy; this decision should be easy. Good policy incentivizes choices that are best for the whole community.

By eliminating the time that passengers normally spend rummaging for their pass or fare, and the time that transit drivers spend managing transactions, fare-free transit decreases boarding times and speeds up transit services. More people riding the bus reduces traffic congestion, meaning shorter commute times for drivers in cars as well.

A rider boards a bus at the Ronstadt Transit Center. May 19, 2022. Credit: Michael McKisson for AZ Luminaria

Yes, and…

Eliminating fares alone will not achieve the compounding benefits of better public transportation. Making transit free is an important step to a more equitable and sustainable mobility future, but it is only one step. This decision should be coupled with investments into more frequent service, safety measures and better bus stops and facilities in Tucson. 

The safety and comfort of all who use the public transit system is an ongoing concern, and one that must be addressed in tandem with any improvements–including fare reduction. According to Sun Tran’s security analysis, problems with assault, disruption and unsafe situations on the bus began to spike before the pandemic and the elimination of fares. Issues underlying safety hazards, often tied to a lack of mental health services and the worsening housing crisis, must be addressed through changes at the policy level around housing availability and affordability, public health services, and infrastructures of care. Introducing transportation ambassador programs (instead of increased policing), more regular route service, and adding better lighting, shade, and services at bus stops are readily adoptable safety measures, given adequate investment. 

Transit improvements require significant investment, but fares have never proven a particularly reliable source of funding. Ridership is impacted by many social, financial and physical factors, including the potential reinstatement of fares itself. Plus, continuing to provide a more equitable fare system will always be at odds with revenue potential. This is an opportunity for Tucson to do what transit advocates have long called for: come up with more robust ways of supporting our transit service so that it's not in competition with other priorities at budget time. 

Reducing economic stress for many residents, as well as civic and human services organizations (who in the past, had to purchase and distribute transit passes), means more money invested into other basic needs — and reinvested into the local economy. Not to mention the immeasurable benefits of increased mobility when everyone can access the system to meet their basic needs and no one has to ration their trips.

Tucson is ready 

A 2021 study showed that Tucson has one of the most cost-effective systems among peer cities. When the 10% of our transit budget that would go toward collecting and enforcing fares is reinvested, it can become even more efficient. Tucson has long valued accessibility of transit, with one of the lowest economy rates in the country in the years before the pandemic. However, even with reduced economy fare options available, other barriers to access meant that 40% of eligible riders still paid full fare prior to elimination.

We now have the opportunity to demonstrate our values around this issue. Input from residents captured in the Tucson Resilient Together Climate Action Plan demonstrates public prioritization of public transit.

Transportation and Land Use, Proposed Action T-2 in the City of Tucson’s Climate Action & Adaptation Plan

Cities don’t need to choose between eliminating fares and having better transit service. We at Living Streets Alliance believe that having zero fares is better service, and that together, we can envision a system that moves us beyond false binaries and the scarcity mindset. 



Take Action!

A coalition of individuals and organizations are mobilizing in support of Zero Fares Tucson. In the months leading up to the Mayor and Council’s budget decision, there are many opportunities for action.

Sign the Zero Fare Tucson petition

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