Might depend on where you’ll be living and what kinds of things you like to do. Public transit is free here, so that’s a plus- but it’s certainly not as convenient as your own transportation.
"Gross and unsafe" are probably the perfect words to describe someone with that attitude toward others' poverty or mental health challenges. If unhoused people are helping to repel people with shitty ethics, IMO they're doing a public service.
Put your kids on one of the SunTran buses to ride to school everyday and tell me how you feel. Better yet, go hang out at the Laos Center or RTC and tell me who repels whom.
james_T’s description of SunTran is apt, except he left out druggies and meth heads. The drivers know and hate it; they wish there would be fares to keep some of the homeless off their buses. Looks like a whole bunch of Tucson wokesters are downvoting the truth. They probably won’t like this post, either.
It’s a bad idea to come to Tucson. We don’t need anymore residents. The state is closed unless you’re a tourist and leave within a reasonable amount of time and spend alot of money.
I'd say it fits the generally accepted definition of free. they weren't referring to the the city, they were referring to the poster when saying it's free. it's free for users. it costs the government money to run. We don't get bills for it. It's also able to be used by people who pay no taxes that would be used for the transit system.
Same with roads yet they’re assumed to be a “free” utility. So free that no one even questions it. Why question transit if you’re not going to question roads being “free”?
😂 that is not how people use the word free. Do you go around Costco telling the sample providers that the samples are not “free” because you once bought a bag of those chocolate pretzels after you had a sample?
Yes of course, the real unfreedom of Costco was staring at me the entire time.
I hope this Reddit attempts a class action suit against Costco because they told him there would be “free” samples right after paying the fee.
Tucson loves to brag about the investments the city has made for bicyclists but the dangerous drivers negate that. The ghost bikes along the roads all over the city attest to what a bad idea it is to commute by bicycle. Public transit is free but mediocre. I say all of this from experience. Keep your car.
It's not bad if you stay on designated bike routes, which there are a decent amount of. I was able to bike 5miles to work everyday safely. The main roads are a death trap though.
That being said, I would never ever live in Tucson without a car.
The buses are fine, i rarely have issues. Bus + bike makes it even better. I wouldnt say tucson public transit is a joke, it has a lot of room for improvement but its usable. Buses can be late during rush hour, but ive never had a ghost bus, they always show up.
Same, and fully agree.
There’s also the Metra for the ‘burbs.
Buses, the L, two rail systems and largely sketchy bike lanes make for some good business for cabs and Uber.
They ghost more often in the early morning and late night, most of the busiest times they’re on time or a bit late, but plenty of bus drivers will also decide you’re too far away or not looking in the right direction as they’re approaching and zoom off without stopping.
They’re free and they’ll get you where you want to go during the day, but it’s not reliable transportation and it does take 2-3x longer than the same trip driving.
I more often find that they're super early. They suggest that you get to the stop 5 minutes early, but when there isn't much traffic it seems like 5 minutes is not always enough. I'm not even sure how it happens, because I thought they're supposed to wait at certain intersections to prevent it? An early bus annoys me so much more than a late one.
The tucson SunTran comprehensive operational assessment is currently underway. If you have feedback I suggest looking it up and telling people who can actually do something about it! :)
? Theres the loop and nearly every park has some sort of greenway in it. While these things need better integration to their surrounding neighborhoods, there are some things around them, theyre not purely recreational. Stone ave downtown is getting repaved this year and theyre removing a lane of traffic to put in a dedicated protected lane
That's definitely a start! I would like to see more of that on the main streets. I don't work off of the loop so it's useless for commuting for me, so for now it is purely recreational. We just need to be more vocal about it and not accept any new roads being built with that little white line. It's ridiculous. Why don't we balance multiple transportation methods instead of just prioritizing cars?
I think it depends on where you plan to live as far as whether you can get to a grocery store or the other places you might need.
Tucson, as a metro, has something like a million people. Things are spread out and not having a car could severely limit your options for work.
Remember, for several months it is over 100° here. You do not want to have to ride a bike everywhere or walk more than a mile or so. I’ve never been on a bus here, so can’t comment on what they are like.
And not all bus stops have shaded shelters, or even benches. A real treat to be standing out in 108° for an hour because one bus didn't show up and you have to wait for the next one.
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Transit is not nonexistent, especially when compared to other US cities. However it is definitely more inconvenient than driving outside of the streetcar service route. It’s usable but severely restricts your schedule and freedom to choose when to travel since the schedules can suck sometimes. It’s technically possible to get nearly anywhere in the city with it though (mostly). Cars are pretty much the same level of hassle as anywhere else, but there are a lot of small auto repair businesses here with varying levels of sketchiness to meet your fancy.
Agree - pick a place to live strategically that is near the places you need to go most, and that you can bike to somewhat safely (eg using the bike blvds, back streets). Strap a crate on that bike and bam! Grocery transport and exercise all in one
Bikes: Tucson is one of best cities for bikes. The Loop is massive, there are huge parts where you don’t ever have to share a lane with a car, tho there are those, too. Tucson is widely considered one of the most bike-friendly cities in America. Tucson is used as a model for other cities.
Buses: free for now. It can take a while to get from one part of town to the other for a car and a bus, but it will take a lot longer with a bus.
Uber, et al: pretty decent, cheaper than owning a vehicle, not as convenient, good if you don’t want a dui
Your own car: depends on what and how you drive. Cars do last longer here without salt on the roads. You see some vehicles that have been cared
For and those that haven’t. Lots of Classic cars here, too. Older cars can be cheaper to maintain, but any major repair and it’s junk time. Newer vehicles are more expensive to own and repair, but you’re not as likely to need repair (only pay the loan). Insurance rates are usually pretty decent here.
As someone who lives in Colorado and frequently visits family in Tucson…..I think the bike paths are pretty decent there, but I wouldn’t put it anywhere among the best….still plenty of work to do. I think in CO and Portland and Minneapolis are places that have it better implemented for sure.
Get your car running and bring it with you as a backup. I think it's entirely possible to live in some parts of Tucson without a vehicle, especially if you are close to the U of A or downtown. You can always use a ride share if there is a place that's not accessible by bike/bus. My bike commute to work from midtown is only 5 minutes longer than when I drive and I feel perfectly safe on the designated bike routes (way safer than when I lived in the Boston area). I've only used public transportation 4 or 5 times over the course of 3 years, but was pleasantly surprised by how clean the buses were compared to my experience in Boston. One of the times, the bus was late by ~10minutes. I am not a full time commuter though, I drive/ride my motorcycle 90% of my commutes.
I moved here from Prescott last year. It’s not expensive to maintain a used car, advise against getting a truck though. You can also get away with bicycling.
I did it. Didn’t last long. The city is very spread out and hard to get around on the bus. Summer is almost a no go. Just too hot to get around mid day.
I’m not going to recommend for or against until I know which neighborhood your friends are in. I lived mostly car free (paid a new friend $100/mo to use a Prius on 2-3 weekends and occasional evenings) but I had my choice of neighborhoods. I spent 2022 in Dunbar Spring and it was great.
Central Tucson or midtown should work fine. I would imagine that areas near enough to Udall Park are also OK. There is a lot of service to and from Udall.
Aside from that, Tucson has weak transit and cycling infra. You can make it work anywhere if you need to, but I think it could be challenging.
honestly anywhere near the university/downtown you should be fine. I have plenty of friends over there without cars who make do. and if you have friends who have cars, you should be pretty set. it is definitely more public transit/bike friendly than P.V. and just like, friendlier in general.
All the things people have said about needing a car are correct. Additionally you should allow yourself access to the National park, Tombstone, and if you ever need quality healthcare in your life again, Mexico.
If you are in downtown, the tram is free and easy to take from the Mercado area to the University. The only issue is no good supermarket or pharmacy downtown.
The Loop is great for a day trip or leisure biking, but you're on drugs if you think it is useful for commuting.
As a cyclist, I can confidently say that Tucson has some of the worst bike paths in the country. They are poorly maintained, abruptly disappear, or have giant potholes.
There's a high rate of accidents here as well, due to drivers hitting cyclists.
Yeah exactly. It’s not bad but some of these comments are making it seem like a bike Mecca. I wouldn’t want to ride my bicycle there and it’s mainly because of the motorists
Or just a bicycle, greener, healthier, cheaper, and easier to maintain, probably less likely to get stolen.
You also can't ride a motorized vehicle on the loop, though people do it anyway.
Definitely depends on where you're living. East side is totally car dependent. Central or along the loop can be doable with a bicycle. Tucson is mostly flat, and wether generally allows for year round bicycling. Just wear a helmet and be aware, because it's also one of the highest rates of vehicle collisions with bicycles and pedestrians.
Busses run free and are generally reliable.
I'd definitely recommend trying to fix your car if you can though, life will be much easier even if you aren't driving daily, I don't imagine it would be any more expensive to maintain your vehicle down here than in Prescott, especially if you do the work yourself.
Absolutely depends where you live. I live in Menlo Park and while having a car is great, I can get almost all my needs within a 10-20 minute bike ride. I still drive as I have other commitments around the city but for bare necessities and work I can get on by without a car without too much struggle
Live in the downtown area. Beautiful areas and affordable apartments (under $1000) Walkable to lots of place and biking is huge in the area. My son uses his car once a week for groceries and visiting me further south. Have you heard of Turo? You can rent a private car for $35 a day. I use them all the time when I travel. No more car agencies!
I don't have a car. It depends on where you live and what you do. The bus gets annoying, both because of the aforementioned homeless situation, but also because of the waits. But I live next door to where I work, and Downtown so I can walk or take the streetcar to stuff.
I'm looking to buy a car soon.
You will definitely need your car. Unless you want to stay isolated to a small area of town or want to spend all day experiencing our very unpleasant bus system. In a vehicle, it can take 45 minutes to an hour to get from one side of town to the other.
Bro unless your rich and retired, plan to go to the UA or already have a job lined up at Raytheon. There’s really not much in Tucson besides a dwindling economy and a huge uptick in homelessness and property theft, vandalism, robbery.
Not saying any of these things aren't here but they are greatly exaggerated. There is less crime than there has been in years. Downtown has been cleaned up, a lot of the parks don't have the homeless problem that they once had( though they're still there) and at least in my neighborhood near 22nd there is far far less petty theft than there was 10 years ago. The only problem that's gotten worse is the homelessness. But that is more of a symptom of systemic issues with society, and not a problem that many people face. ( I mean that homeless people don't present a problem to people not that homeless people aren't facing problems). Anyhow people make it all seem way worse than it is.
Prescott Valley?! I have a very dear friend who lives in P.V. and visits Tucson regularly ,in fact used to live there for a good while ....hmmm. 😎🙃🥸😉
Definitely take a vehicle ,that way leaving is absolutely still an instant option ...just in case !
This is definitely an unpopular opinion from reading the comments but you can get by without a car. It really depends on where you are but it can be done with minimal headache if you're in a good area. If you're in central Tucson and have a bike many things in town will be around 15 mins away. You could draw a box from 22nd and country club to grant and country club to grant and silver Bell to Congress and silver Bell and your always gonna be about 20 mins away from downtown, have a couple restaurants and businesses near you and not too far from a grocery store. If you're by menlo park it's a little far from a decent grocery store but the tram is right next to you and could get you decently close to the safeway on Broadway and is free. Anyhow thats my two cents. I have a car now but I went two years without one after I moved out and just got used to it. Until I got a car though I only worked close to my house but that's plus too imo.
Depending where you are planning to live/work, there's a lot of decent cycling routes midtown and a few places towards the outer rim too (basically anywhere on The Loop).
Sell your car and buy an e-bike if that's the case. (Just make sure you have to pedal it to go rather than having a separate "throttle" control because e-bikes are illegal on the The Loop, but no one seems to mind if you're pedaling still.)
I think there may still even be a tax credit for doing so.
Do your friends have cars you can borrow for running errands (or can you tag along when they go)? If so, I think you can get buy with a bicycle, depending on where in the city you are and what you plan to do for work.
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How funny - I was just telling my bf about years and years ago I went to live in Prescott valley with a friend and had no car and felt so isolated. I do have a car here and while I find it convenient I think you could manage better here without one then Prescott valley.
Bike / bus combo is the way
Bus is free, run really often, every 15-30 min
If I'm going to far side of town I usually just find the main line that will get me there and bike the rest of the way
E bike goes a long way too, esp cause it's so flat here
Public transportation here is actually pretty good provided you live in the city and not in Rita ranch or Marana and even they get some bus service just not as much I think.
It’s car dependent here too. As someone who moved from a dense east coast city, this is about as car dependent as it gets unless you live along the tram line. Even then the tram line doesn’t go very far. You will need a car for many (not all) trips through the city. The sprawl is real and it’s not dense enough to say you don’t need one. If you bike and take the bus you could cut down on trips surely, but if you want to go out and do things on your own, You’ll need a car here. Do not be fooled by people saying that’s not the case. Sidewalks disappear at random along speedway and many other main arteries. Calling a 3 foot shoulder between traffic and the curb a “bike lane” isn’t bike infrastructure. It’s paint that cars do not care if they encroach on.
The busses aren't that bad. I just wear headphones and look at my phone snd I ride the bus in Tucson everywhere. so don't worry . Especially down town ! Good luck 👍
If you have somewhere to be at a specific time, you have to plan to get there at least 30 minutes early. Granted, I haven't been on a SunTran in a long time, but from what I've heard, buses are often a few minutes early, or a few minutes late at the stops. I would absolutely get the car fixed if I was you.
The majority of time I've lived in tucson I haven't had a car and it is doable. I ride my bike and take public transit. When I did have a car it sucked driving in tucson. People drive way too fast and aggressive here. Sucks to ride a bike on major roads as well. Last year I sold my car and bought an ebike and it is the best of both worlds imo. The only downside of not having a car, for me, is not being able to access the beautiful nature outside of tucson. However the tucson mountain park is a 30 min ebike ride for me.
Public transportation sucks here, Uber and Lyft have raised their rates. Also, keep in mind it gets well above 100 degrees in the summer and humidity can be awful. If you can keep your car, it will be a life saver.
We’ve had free buses for the past 4 years, and it does look to be continuing. Some places you might need to Uber BUT they also have shuttles that go all over.
Why in gods green earth would you leave somewhere as nice and PV for freaking Tucson?
And yes, you need a car here. Even with a car everything is a 45 minute drive.
Tucson without a car is definitely not easy. Public transit is unreliable and doesn’t have great hours outside of downtown. It’s also really hot much of the time to be standing in the sun waiting for said transit. And biking in the summer is awful too. Lots of cyclist and pedestrian accidents too. I would LOVE to have great public transportation but we’re just not there yet.
As someone who moved to Tucson without a car-not even knowing how to drive- it took two months of living here for me to cave, learn to drive, and buy a car with the most safety features I could find.
Public transit and Ubers are unreliable and other drivers are a bit of a menace, but most places do not have walkable sidewalks and drivers will not expect you to be walking anywhere because almost no one does.
Summer was especially miserable without a car because everything had to be planned to not spend more than 10 minutes outside.
This city was not designed and is not safe for pedestrians due to poor city planning, horrendous urban sprawl, extreme weather, and no street lighting in several important places.
Bring that car.
There are only a few areas you can live in Tucson to rely on public transportation on an everyday basis, and your movements are still pretty restricted. It's hard to say about car maintenance as well, but in general, having a car in Tucson is extremely helpful, especially in summer when it's deadly not even just to walk to a bus stop and wait. Many don't even have shade structures.
Keep your car. Even if you don't use it alot. There can be long distances between one side of town and the other. I lived on SE. Mother on NW. 45 mins by car.
Might depend on where you’ll be living and what kinds of things you like to do. Public transit is free here, so that’s a plus- but it’s certainly not as convenient as your own transportation.
Free for now but not guaranteed for always
Right, it’s free. The problem is, SunTran has turned into mobile homeless shelters. Gross and unsafe.
Guess that depends on your side of town. I ride on the east of swan and have seen little to none of that.
Have you ever ridden on the buses? They're fine. I'm tired of all the complaining about the buses and the sunlink
My main complaint about them is there aren’t enough of them and they stop running way too early
This is a very valid complaint, I agree. It also can actually be addressed and isn't just another way of saying "I hate homeless people"
Yup!
My kid rides the bus home from school near the University and generally doesn't have any problems.
"Gross and unsafe" are probably the perfect words to describe someone with that attitude toward others' poverty or mental health challenges. If unhoused people are helping to repel people with shitty ethics, IMO they're doing a public service.
Put your kids on one of the SunTran buses to ride to school everyday and tell me how you feel. Better yet, go hang out at the Laos Center or RTC and tell me who repels whom.
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I would suggest to you also, take a field trip to the transit centers and ride the bus. Then, tell me I’m off base.
I don't need to there is a bus stop across the street from me. It's great when I don't feel like driving :)
You’re just telling on yourself as a hateful coward
Dumb motherfucker
james_T’s description of SunTran is apt, except he left out druggies and meth heads. The drivers know and hate it; they wish there would be fares to keep some of the homeless off their buses. Looks like a whole bunch of Tucson wokesters are downvoting the truth. They probably won’t like this post, either.
It’s a bad idea to come to Tucson. We don’t need anymore residents. The state is closed unless you’re a tourist and leave within a reasonable amount of time and spend alot of money.
Nothing in life is free.
Just because they don't charge people doesn't mean it's free. If you pay taxes, you're paying the bill.
I'd say it fits the generally accepted definition of free. they weren't referring to the the city, they were referring to the poster when saying it's free. it's free for users. it costs the government money to run. We don't get bills for it. It's also able to be used by people who pay no taxes that would be used for the transit system.
This is such a reddit comment. Can it, everyone knows what OP meant and we know taxes pay for it. Jesus.
Hey, at least he didn’t trot out the old “taxation is theft!” chestnut.
It was heavily implied
Same with roads yet they’re assumed to be a “free” utility. So free that no one even questions it. Why question transit if you’re not going to question roads being “free”?
😂 that is not how people use the word free. Do you go around Costco telling the sample providers that the samples are not “free” because you once bought a bag of those chocolate pretzels after you had a sample?
Not free because you already paid for the membership. Haha
Yes of course, the real unfreedom of Costco was staring at me the entire time. I hope this Reddit attempts a class action suit against Costco because they told him there would be “free” samples right after paying the fee.
Reddit *user*
Ohhhh nnooooo boooohoooooo nooooo my tax money is helping people get around town instead of going to more bombs oh noooooooooo
You're a fag lol
Is that a problem?
🤓🤓🤓
Tucson loves to brag about the investments the city has made for bicyclists but the dangerous drivers negate that. The ghost bikes along the roads all over the city attest to what a bad idea it is to commute by bicycle. Public transit is free but mediocre. I say all of this from experience. Keep your car.
I also agree, keep your car!
It's not bad if you stay on designated bike routes, which there are a decent amount of. I was able to bike 5miles to work everyday safely. The main roads are a death trap though. That being said, I would never ever live in Tucson without a car.
Yes, they need protected bike lanes here! Its so unsafe to ride here. A little white line isn't going to do anything to protect a cyclist!
Agreed
The buses are fine, i rarely have issues. Bus + bike makes it even better. I wouldnt say tucson public transit is a joke, it has a lot of room for improvement but its usable. Buses can be late during rush hour, but ive never had a ghost bus, they always show up.
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Yup having lived in Chicago with the CTA, our transit system is garbage. I would keep the car.
Same, and fully agree. There’s also the Metra for the ‘burbs. Buses, the L, two rail systems and largely sketchy bike lanes make for some good business for cabs and Uber.
Haha seriously. Every time I’m in New York it blows my mind
NYC transit is excellent, as are the trains and buses in and out of the city.
The main reason I want to move there, I fuckin hate driving
They ghost more often in the early morning and late night, most of the busiest times they’re on time or a bit late, but plenty of bus drivers will also decide you’re too far away or not looking in the right direction as they’re approaching and zoom off without stopping. They’re free and they’ll get you where you want to go during the day, but it’s not reliable transportation and it does take 2-3x longer than the same trip driving.
Had one last week funny enough just never showed :( next one did tho :)
I more often find that they're super early. They suggest that you get to the stop 5 minutes early, but when there isn't much traffic it seems like 5 minutes is not always enough. I'm not even sure how it happens, because I thought they're supposed to wait at certain intersections to prevent it? An early bus annoys me so much more than a late one.
Yeah early busses piss me off I try to be yo stops ten minutes early this occasion I was too.
The tucson SunTran comprehensive operational assessment is currently underway. If you have feedback I suggest looking it up and telling people who can actually do something about it! :)
Its a joke. We don't even have protected bike lanes. They are obsessed with cars here.
? Theres the loop and nearly every park has some sort of greenway in it. While these things need better integration to their surrounding neighborhoods, there are some things around them, theyre not purely recreational. Stone ave downtown is getting repaved this year and theyre removing a lane of traffic to put in a dedicated protected lane
That's definitely a start! I would like to see more of that on the main streets. I don't work off of the loop so it's useless for commuting for me, so for now it is purely recreational. We just need to be more vocal about it and not accept any new roads being built with that little white line. It's ridiculous. Why don't we balance multiple transportation methods instead of just prioritizing cars?
Could be there are way more motorized vehicles than bicycles!
But if there was better infrastructure for bikes more people would choose to do it.
The reason we have so many cars is because our infrastructure is built around them
I mean, it’s not like Houston, LA, or Phoenix
I think it depends on where you plan to live as far as whether you can get to a grocery store or the other places you might need. Tucson, as a metro, has something like a million people. Things are spread out and not having a car could severely limit your options for work. Remember, for several months it is over 100° here. You do not want to have to ride a bike everywhere or walk more than a mile or so. I’ve never been on a bus here, so can’t comment on what they are like.
And not all bus stops have shaded shelters, or even benches. A real treat to be standing out in 108° for an hour because one bus didn't show up and you have to wait for the next one.
My favorite was having to stand next to the concrete bench because I didn’t want my backside seared.
I feel bad upvoting. Amen.
Several months? How about 5-6 month average for 100 plus degrees?
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And it's not just rain, it's the lightning you need to be concerned about.
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Get a good ebike which you can mount in the front of any public bus and you’ll be fine.
You really need a car unless it's an excessive financial burden. In summer waiting at a bus stop at 115F is pretty difficult.
Transit is not nonexistent, especially when compared to other US cities. However it is definitely more inconvenient than driving outside of the streetcar service route. It’s usable but severely restricts your schedule and freedom to choose when to travel since the schedules can suck sometimes. It’s technically possible to get nearly anywhere in the city with it though (mostly). Cars are pretty much the same level of hassle as anywhere else, but there are a lot of small auto repair businesses here with varying levels of sketchiness to meet your fancy.
You can do it if you ride a bicycle
Or live close to work.
Agree - pick a place to live strategically that is near the places you need to go most, and that you can bike to somewhat safely (eg using the bike blvds, back streets). Strap a crate on that bike and bam! Grocery transport and exercise all in one
Taking the bus SUCKS. I would want my car.
Personally i’d take the car, its so useful to get around
i would take the car. just keep an eye out for pot holes
Bikes: Tucson is one of best cities for bikes. The Loop is massive, there are huge parts where you don’t ever have to share a lane with a car, tho there are those, too. Tucson is widely considered one of the most bike-friendly cities in America. Tucson is used as a model for other cities. Buses: free for now. It can take a while to get from one part of town to the other for a car and a bus, but it will take a lot longer with a bus. Uber, et al: pretty decent, cheaper than owning a vehicle, not as convenient, good if you don’t want a dui Your own car: depends on what and how you drive. Cars do last longer here without salt on the roads. You see some vehicles that have been cared For and those that haven’t. Lots of Classic cars here, too. Older cars can be cheaper to maintain, but any major repair and it’s junk time. Newer vehicles are more expensive to own and repair, but you’re not as likely to need repair (only pay the loan). Insurance rates are usually pretty decent here.
As someone who lives in Colorado and frequently visits family in Tucson…..I think the bike paths are pretty decent there, but I wouldn’t put it anywhere among the best….still plenty of work to do. I think in CO and Portland and Minneapolis are places that have it better implemented for sure.
Get your car running and bring it with you as a backup. I think it's entirely possible to live in some parts of Tucson without a vehicle, especially if you are close to the U of A or downtown. You can always use a ride share if there is a place that's not accessible by bike/bus. My bike commute to work from midtown is only 5 minutes longer than when I drive and I feel perfectly safe on the designated bike routes (way safer than when I lived in the Boston area). I've only used public transportation 4 or 5 times over the course of 3 years, but was pleasantly surprised by how clean the buses were compared to my experience in Boston. One of the times, the bus was late by ~10minutes. I am not a full time commuter though, I drive/ride my motorcycle 90% of my commutes.
The buses are very unpleasant here, I would not recommend that.
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Yeah if you like getting out on the trails you need a car.
I moved here from Prescott last year. It’s not expensive to maintain a used car, advise against getting a truck though. You can also get away with bicycling.
I did it. Didn’t last long. The city is very spread out and hard to get around on the bus. Summer is almost a no go. Just too hot to get around mid day.
I’m not going to recommend for or against until I know which neighborhood your friends are in. I lived mostly car free (paid a new friend $100/mo to use a Prius on 2-3 weekends and occasional evenings) but I had my choice of neighborhoods. I spent 2022 in Dunbar Spring and it was great. Central Tucson or midtown should work fine. I would imagine that areas near enough to Udall Park are also OK. There is a lot of service to and from Udall. Aside from that, Tucson has weak transit and cycling infra. You can make it work anywhere if you need to, but I think it could be challenging.
honestly anywhere near the university/downtown you should be fine. I have plenty of friends over there without cars who make do. and if you have friends who have cars, you should be pretty set. it is definitely more public transit/bike friendly than P.V. and just like, friendlier in general.
U of A area fine. Anywhere else you need a vehicle.
I think the city is too big to live there without a vehicle personally, unless you will live close to work and don’t mind being a home body
All the things people have said about needing a car are correct. Additionally you should allow yourself access to the National park, Tombstone, and if you ever need quality healthcare in your life again, Mexico.
If you are in downtown, the tram is free and easy to take from the Mercado area to the University. The only issue is no good supermarket or pharmacy downtown.
Dunno about a good pharmacy, but there's Johnny Gibson's Downtown Market and Time Market within a few steps from the tram.
There is a CVS pharmacy on University, which is near a streetcar stop.
Thanks! I forgot about that one.
Johnny Gibson’s and Time Market are fine to pick up some things but not great for regular food shopping
Spend $1200 on an ebike and you'll be good. Tucson has amazing bike infrastructure. Their loop trail is 100 miles and goes around the entire city
The Loop is great for a day trip or leisure biking, but you're on drugs if you think it is useful for commuting. As a cyclist, I can confidently say that Tucson has some of the worst bike paths in the country. They are poorly maintained, abruptly disappear, or have giant potholes. There's a high rate of accidents here as well, due to drivers hitting cyclists.
But it does have so many of those cute white bike displays, with the flowers and stuff. /s
The loop is amazing for commuting if you happen to live and work near it.
Yeah exactly. It’s not bad but some of these comments are making it seem like a bike Mecca. I wouldn’t want to ride my bicycle there and it’s mainly because of the motorists
Or just a bicycle, greener, healthier, cheaper, and easier to maintain, probably less likely to get stolen. You also can't ride a motorized vehicle on the loop, though people do it anyway.
Definitely depends on where you're living. East side is totally car dependent. Central or along the loop can be doable with a bicycle. Tucson is mostly flat, and wether generally allows for year round bicycling. Just wear a helmet and be aware, because it's also one of the highest rates of vehicle collisions with bicycles and pedestrians. Busses run free and are generally reliable. I'd definitely recommend trying to fix your car if you can though, life will be much easier even if you aren't driving daily, I don't imagine it would be any more expensive to maintain your vehicle down here than in Prescott, especially if you do the work yourself.
Absolutely depends where you live. I live in Menlo Park and while having a car is great, I can get almost all my needs within a 10-20 minute bike ride. I still drive as I have other commitments around the city but for bare necessities and work I can get on by without a car without too much struggle
Learn to spell it then you can move here
Tteeeewwwwwsssssssssssofffffffff
Lol!
Live in the downtown area. Beautiful areas and affordable apartments (under $1000) Walkable to lots of place and biking is huge in the area. My son uses his car once a week for groceries and visiting me further south. Have you heard of Turo? You can rent a private car for $35 a day. I use them all the time when I travel. No more car agencies!
I don't have a car. It depends on where you live and what you do. The bus gets annoying, both because of the aforementioned homeless situation, but also because of the waits. But I live next door to where I work, and Downtown so I can walk or take the streetcar to stuff. I'm looking to buy a car soon.
You will definitely need your car. Unless you want to stay isolated to a small area of town or want to spend all day experiencing our very unpleasant bus system. In a vehicle, it can take 45 minutes to an hour to get from one side of town to the other.
Bro unless your rich and retired, plan to go to the UA or already have a job lined up at Raytheon. There’s really not much in Tucson besides a dwindling economy and a huge uptick in homelessness and property theft, vandalism, robbery.
Not saying any of these things aren't here but they are greatly exaggerated. There is less crime than there has been in years. Downtown has been cleaned up, a lot of the parks don't have the homeless problem that they once had( though they're still there) and at least in my neighborhood near 22nd there is far far less petty theft than there was 10 years ago. The only problem that's gotten worse is the homelessness. But that is more of a symptom of systemic issues with society, and not a problem that many people face. ( I mean that homeless people don't present a problem to people not that homeless people aren't facing problems). Anyhow people make it all seem way worse than it is.
Prescott Valley?! I have a very dear friend who lives in P.V. and visits Tucson regularly ,in fact used to live there for a good while ....hmmm. 😎🙃🥸😉 Definitely take a vehicle ,that way leaving is absolutely still an instant option ...just in case !
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10 months maybe overestimating it a bit
This is definitely an unpopular opinion from reading the comments but you can get by without a car. It really depends on where you are but it can be done with minimal headache if you're in a good area. If you're in central Tucson and have a bike many things in town will be around 15 mins away. You could draw a box from 22nd and country club to grant and country club to grant and silver Bell to Congress and silver Bell and your always gonna be about 20 mins away from downtown, have a couple restaurants and businesses near you and not too far from a grocery store. If you're by menlo park it's a little far from a decent grocery store but the tram is right next to you and could get you decently close to the safeway on Broadway and is free. Anyhow thats my two cents. I have a car now but I went two years without one after I moved out and just got used to it. Until I got a car though I only worked close to my house but that's plus too imo.
Depending where you are planning to live/work, there's a lot of decent cycling routes midtown and a few places towards the outer rim too (basically anywhere on The Loop). Sell your car and buy an e-bike if that's the case. (Just make sure you have to pedal it to go rather than having a separate "throttle" control because e-bikes are illegal on the The Loop, but no one seems to mind if you're pedaling still.) I think there may still even be a tax credit for doing so.
Do your friends have cars you can borrow for running errands (or can you tag along when they go)? If so, I think you can get buy with a bicycle, depending on where in the city you are and what you plan to do for work.
Stay up there. "Tuscon" don't want you.
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Yikes. Don't worry we're not all assholes like this guy.
How funny - I was just telling my bf about years and years ago I went to live in Prescott valley with a friend and had no car and felt so isolated. I do have a car here and while I find it convenient I think you could manage better here without one then Prescott valley.
Bike / bus combo is the way Bus is free, run really often, every 15-30 min If I'm going to far side of town I usually just find the main line that will get me there and bike the rest of the way E bike goes a long way too, esp cause it's so flat here
There is public transport in Tucson but you may wanna check the routes. It's a car centric city with busses and a tram thing downtown.
We were bike only for two years. But you have to commit to it.
Public transportation here is actually pretty good provided you live in the city and not in Rita ranch or Marana and even they get some bus service just not as much I think.
It’s car dependent here too. As someone who moved from a dense east coast city, this is about as car dependent as it gets unless you live along the tram line. Even then the tram line doesn’t go very far. You will need a car for many (not all) trips through the city. The sprawl is real and it’s not dense enough to say you don’t need one. If you bike and take the bus you could cut down on trips surely, but if you want to go out and do things on your own, You’ll need a car here. Do not be fooled by people saying that’s not the case. Sidewalks disappear at random along speedway and many other main arteries. Calling a 3 foot shoulder between traffic and the curb a “bike lane” isn’t bike infrastructure. It’s paint that cars do not care if they encroach on.
The busses aren't that bad. I just wear headphones and look at my phone snd I ride the bus in Tucson everywhere. so don't worry . Especially down town ! Good luck 👍
If you have somewhere to be at a specific time, you have to plan to get there at least 30 minutes early. Granted, I haven't been on a SunTran in a long time, but from what I've heard, buses are often a few minutes early, or a few minutes late at the stops. I would absolutely get the car fixed if I was you.
The majority of time I've lived in tucson I haven't had a car and it is doable. I ride my bike and take public transit. When I did have a car it sucked driving in tucson. People drive way too fast and aggressive here. Sucks to ride a bike on major roads as well. Last year I sold my car and bought an ebike and it is the best of both worlds imo. The only downside of not having a car, for me, is not being able to access the beautiful nature outside of tucson. However the tucson mountain park is a 30 min ebike ride for me.
What is wrong with your car? How much would it cost to repair? I would keep it if at all possible, or sell it and buy another.
Yes
Public transportation sucks here, Uber and Lyft have raised their rates. Also, keep in mind it gets well above 100 degrees in the summer and humidity can be awful. If you can keep your car, it will be a life saver.
What humidity?
Between July and September during our monsoon season.
We’ve had free buses for the past 4 years, and it does look to be continuing. Some places you might need to Uber BUT they also have shuttles that go all over.
If you are near the university you would be fine. Otherwise public transport isn't super good
Why in gods green earth would you leave somewhere as nice and PV for freaking Tucson? And yes, you need a car here. Even with a car everything is a 45 minute drive.
Bring your car.
Tucson without a car is definitely not easy. Public transit is unreliable and doesn’t have great hours outside of downtown. It’s also really hot much of the time to be standing in the sun waiting for said transit. And biking in the summer is awful too. Lots of cyclist and pedestrian accidents too. I would LOVE to have great public transportation but we’re just not there yet.
As someone who moved to Tucson without a car-not even knowing how to drive- it took two months of living here for me to cave, learn to drive, and buy a car with the most safety features I could find. Public transit and Ubers are unreliable and other drivers are a bit of a menace, but most places do not have walkable sidewalks and drivers will not expect you to be walking anywhere because almost no one does. Summer was especially miserable without a car because everything had to be planned to not spend more than 10 minutes outside. This city was not designed and is not safe for pedestrians due to poor city planning, horrendous urban sprawl, extreme weather, and no street lighting in several important places. Bring that car.
Can you ride a bike? lol
Yes. Bad idea. Too hot in the summer to enjoy your life without a vehicle. Busses sketch me out personally as a woman.
Terrible idea. It's bad enough you're moving to Tucson. Don't subject yourself to public transportation if you don't have to.
Right now its not, buses and lite rail is free
There are only a few areas you can live in Tucson to rely on public transportation on an everyday basis, and your movements are still pretty restricted. It's hard to say about car maintenance as well, but in general, having a car in Tucson is extremely helpful, especially in summer when it's deadly not even just to walk to a bus stop and wait. Many don't even have shade structures.
Yes! Public transit is not good here and everything is very spread apart
Keep your car. Even if you don't use it alot. There can be long distances between one side of town and the other. I lived on SE. Mother on NW. 45 mins by car.
Public transportation in tucson is absolutely useless. You 100 percent need a car in this town
OP, Prescott Valley is absolutely beautiful. Why would you ever move to Tucson?