National Express Transit signed a three-year contract with the Regional Transportation Authority (RTA) of Pima County in Arizona. The services took effect Oct. 1 and build on a partnership that began in 2012. The contract includes two one-year options to extend.

National Express Transit’s Tucson Customer Service Center team manages the RTA’s Sun Shuttle neighborhood and rural fixed routes, paratransit, and on-demand microtransit services, including a call center, dispatch, maintenance, and administration. Operations also include services to and within Green Valley and Sahuarita.

National Express drivers and maintenance personnel support a fleet of 81 buses, cutaways, vans ,and sedans, including roughly 50 ADA-compliant vans and Prius hybrids provided by National Express. Drivers receive special training in caring for passengers with unique mobility challenges in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), including those using wheelchairs and mobility devices.

“The RTA has enhanced service requirements for National Express under the new contract to provide Sun Shuttle and Sun Shuttle dial-a-ride transit services throughout the region,” said Jim DeGrood, RTA deputy director. “Quality customer service is important to the RTA, and we are working with National Express to ensure a high-level of responsive service in our ever-changing transit environment.”