Shuttle riders will need to find new game-day options

That’s because a private company — Via Trailways out of Tempe — expressed interest in providing shuttle service to the games. At that point a federal law kicked in, forcing Sun Tran, which is funded by the city, Regional Transportation Authority and federal government, to stop offering the service.

A caveat attached to Sun Tran’s federal funding prohibits the bus line from competing with a private service provider.

“We’re obviously disappointed that they (Via) did that. Because we wanted Sun Tran for shuttles for our fans,” said Suzy Mason, senior associate director of athletics at the UA.

“Should we have entered into an agreement with Via, what we would have had to charge to make that work is astronomical,” Mason said, though she didn’t say how much the exact cost would have been.

Still, the company’s exploratory pitch to the UA was enough to force Sun Tran out.

Last year an average 1,500 to 1,750 people rode the Sun Tran shuttle round trip at a cost of $1 to $3. The stadium seating capacity is a little more than 56,000.

“We have people who have expressed disappointment that the service is not the same as in years past. Unfortunately we’re bound by the federal law,” said Kandi Young, Sun Tran’s marketing and communication director.

The good news? There are other options, including $5 parking at the Park Avenue Garage at North Park Avenue and East Speedway, from which the existing UA CatTran is running six shuttles, with room for 35 people apiece, to the stadium.

At the end of the third quarter, CatTran service to the Park Avenue garage will resume, along with six Gray Line charter buses that can hold 52 passengers each.

Parking will be free at the Highland and Tyndall garages (see map) for cars containing four or more people, to encourage carpooling.

Sun Tran typically used between 25 and 35 buses per game depending on expected attendance. Last year, the shuttle ran from Hi Corbett Field in midtown and Arizona Pavilions in Marana.

One rider emailed Young that because the shuttle service isn’t being offered, she didn’t keep her season tickets.

But not everyone who used to take the shuttle is disappointed. Realtor Deena Toal is looking forward to taking the new streetcar.

“This is going to be great. We can jump on the trolley, go downtown, eat. Perfect. We’re excited about it,” she said.

Sun Link — the streetcar — will have six cars on its 3.9-mile, 19-stop route before the game today, with 10-minute wait times until kickoff. A Sun Tran bus will be waiting nearby in case the streetcar is overcrowded. A seventh streetcar will be available for use if needed.

“During the game we’ll have four cars on the alignment, and we’re running 15-minute headways. Postgame those four cars will stay out running 15-minute headways. We’ll have two cars at Helen and Warren along with four Sun Tran buses staged if we start getting overloaded,” said Michael Graham, the city Transportation Department’s public-relations director.

“We’ll also have our volunteer ambassadors that will be working on the alignment to assist riders on purchasing the passes, as well as ambassadors on the streetcar to assist people with boarding and validating the passes,” he said.

Streetcar passes are $4 for 24 hours. The clock starts ticking on them when they’re validated on the streetcar; for example, if you board at 4 p.m., the pass is good until 4 p.m. the next day.

“A lot of people are very concerned, and that’s why we’re doing the CatTran shuttles,” said Greg Byrne, UA vice president for athletics. “In reality there is a lot of parking close to the stadium; it’s just not all in one centralized spot.”