Tucson residents are being invited to weigh in on a citywide effort to make riding Sun Tran safer. City leaders announced a series of community engagement sessions under the “Safe City Connect: Transit” banner that will give the public a chance to learn about the Transit Safety and Security Action Plan, ask questions of officials and provide feedback on safety projects already underway and those planned for the coming months.
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A City of Tucson Sun Tran bus (Route 5, “PCC West”) parked on a neighborhood street; city leaders are asking residents to help shape the Transit Safety and Security Action Plan.
The action plan was approved by the Tucson Mayor and City Council in December 2025 after months of discussion about public safety on buses and at transit centers. City officials described the plan as a multi-pronged approach that combines stepped-up security measures, targeted infrastructure improvements and an expanded outreach effort intended to make riders and transit employees feel safer while using or working within the public transportation system.
Officials say the upcoming meetings will provide a forum for detailed conversations about those elements. Presentations and staff briefings at the sessions will cover enhanced security services at transit hubs and other high-traffic locations, additional patrols by the Tucson Police Department around transit facilities and bus routes, and planned physical improvements at stops and stations designed to increase visibility and safety for riders.
The city has also highlighted several operational measures that are part of the plan. One element aims to improve the tracking and reporting of safety incidents so patterns can be identified and responses adjusted. Another component is the newly created Transit Ambassador Program, which places trained ambassadors throughout the transit system to assist riders, provide information and help connect people with community resources. City officials say those ambassadors are intended to be a visible, supportive presence across the network.
While the meetings will focus on safety-related topics, city leaders made clear that transit fares will not be on the agenda for these particular sessions. Residents who wish to comment on fare policy will be able to do so through other public processes the city conducts, officials said. The current engagement sessions are being positioned strictly as opportunities to discuss safety policies and investments tied to the Transit Safety and Security Action Plan.
Four sessions are scheduled across the city over the course of the week, including three in-person meetings and one virtual meeting. On Monday, Aug. 10, a session for Ward 1 and Ward 5 residents is set for 5:30–7:30 p.m. at the El Pueblo Senior Center, 101 W. Irvington Road, Building 9. The city will hold a citywide virtual meeting on Tuesday, Aug. 11, from noon to 2 p.m.; that session will use Zoom and registration is required. On Wednesday, Aug. 12, a meeting for Ward 3 and Ward 6 residents will take place from 5:30–7:30 p.m. at the Randolph Recreation Center, 200 S. Alvernon Way. The final scheduled meeting is Thursday, Aug. 13, for Ward 2 and Ward 4 residents, 5:30–7:30 p.m. at the Ward 2 Office, 7829 E. Broadway Blvd.
Residents who ride Sun Tran, live near transit routes, work on or near the system, or who have specific concerns about transit safety are encouraged to attend and offer feedback. City staff said input gathered during this round of community meetings will be used to guide future policy decisions and investments tied to the Transit Safety and Security Action Plan and to inform evaluation of additional measures that could be deployed to improve safety for both riders and transit employees. To register for a session or get more information, the city directs residents to the Safe City Initiative page on the City of Tucson website at tucsonaz.gov/Government/Office-of-the-City-Manager/Safe-City-Initiative.
City officials emphasized that these engagement sessions are part of an ongoing process as the municipality implements the plan and monitors its effects. The meetings are intended to be informational and interactive, giving residents a chance to hear from staff, ask questions about current and planned actions, and provide feedback that will be considered as the city continues to roll out and refine its transit safety work. Public comment collected at the sessions will be used alongside operational data to help prioritize investments and adjustments to the plan going forward.
City Council discussed allocating about $2.15 million annually from the voter-approved RTA Next plan for the initiative during a June 2026 budget review, including nearly $300,000 for the Transit Ambassador Program along with cameras, panic buttons, lighting upgrades and operator safety barriers. A motion to further increase ambassador and driver-safety funding passed 5-2, per KOLD News reporting on the stakeholder-developed plan.
The final Transit Safety and Security Action Plan, adopted December 16, 2025, lays out seven focused areas of work and cites 15,394 reported safety events on the Sun Tran system between January and May 2025 — roughly 100 events per day — as a key data point that drove the development of the plan.
When Mayor and Council approved first‑year spending in June 2026 they did so amid Sun Tran driver strike threats; the budget included line items for contracted private security (about $187,000) and increased police deployments, and several council members — with public pushback from Mayor Regina Romero — moved to shift some contracted‑security dollars into the Transit Ambassador Program.
The plan also directs formal, ongoing oversight and evaluation: it requires regular reporting to Mayor and Council, review by the Tucson Transit Advisory Committee and the Safe City Task Force, and the development of specific performance metrics and data‑driven evaluation practices to judge the effectiveness of safety measures as they are implemented.