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Tucson’s Sun Link streetcar beats ridership projections in first week of paid service
TUCSON, Ariz. – Officials are pleased with ridership results on Tucson’s new Sun Link streetcar line, totaling more than 28,000 trips and an average of 3,900 daily riders during the first week of paid operation. Initial projections called for a daily ridership of 3,600. With University of Arizona students returning for classes in the coming weeks, ridership is expected to increase substantially.
Broken down by day, there were 3,500 riders on Monday. Ridership was nearly equal with 3,140 on Tuesday and 3,130 on Wednesday. Thursday saw 3,200 riders on the streetcar route. Weekend ridership picked up with 4,900 on Friday, 4,630 on Saturday, and 5,220 on Sunday.
“There is no 'break even' number,” cautions city spokesman Mike Graham, “We are providing a public service. Fare box recovery doesn't cover 100 percent of the operating costs.”
City officials are not counting solely on returning students to boost ridership figures in the coming months. Weekend events and workers commuting to downtown jobs are also expected to contribute to steady increases. Early projections estimated 4,200 daily riders by 2020. Sun Link’s 3.9-mile route connects the Arizona Health Sciences Center with the University of Arizona and Tucson’s downtown business district.