The city of Tucson Department of Transportation has awarded incumbent Professional Transit Management/Veolia Transportation, Inc. (PTM/Veolia) a contract to manage Sun Tran fixed-route operations and Sun Van paratransit services.
Led by General Manager Kate Riley, the Tucson-based PTM/Veolia team will help city leaders reach transit goals and objectives by offering continual improvement in key areas such as technological advancements, sustainability, and customer service. Patrick McGowan will continue as assistant general manager over Sun Van, and Mary McLain will maintain her role as assistant general manager of Sun Tran.
“We value the trust the city of Tucson places in PTM/Veolia,” states Duane Eskierka, Veolia Transportation regional vice president. “The continuation of our long-time partnership allows us to provide solutions that reduce costs, enhance service quality and improve efficiencies.”
The two-year contract, which goes into effect May 17, 2012, also includes operation of the Downtown Loop circulator service, development of a seamless regional fare system, and management of the Special Services Office that sells fare products and evaluates applicants for the city’s Economy Fare Program. The city of Tucson has the option to renew the agreement for up to six additional years.
Sun Tran has been under PTM/Veolia’s direction since 1999, and has held the Sun Van management contract since 2004. Recent accomplishments include completion of a LEED Gold-certified regional transit facility, receipt of $15.6 million in federal discretionary energy grants since 2010, and an 18 percent expansion of fixed-route service delivered on-time and on-budget.
With more than 600 employees, 40 fixed routes and a fleet of 240 buses, Sun Tran provides public transportation across the Tucson region to 20 million passengers annually. Sun Van, with nearly 240 employees, schedules approximately 480,000 passenger trips annually with an active fleet of 125 lift-equipped vans.
