Sun Metro

SUN METRO, you AMAZE me BIG TIME. When I first got orders to Fort Bliss, first thing that came up to my mind was… DAMNIT I need to get a car now to get around or even go OFF-​POST. But NOPE! I was happy and glad to find out that Bus 31 serves East Bliss (Sadly NO BUS Service for Bus 31 ON Sundays though), the PX/​Freedom Crossing, and even goes off post to Eastside Bus Terminal where you can transfer to various buses to get you around El Paso and Downtown.
The thing I like about SUN METRO is that it is ALWAYS ON TIME (unless there is an event like the Marathon/​Run going on on-​post that screws up the schedule) and is FAST and EFFICIENT. I always take Bus 59 to get to Downtown EP from the Eastside Bus Terminal which only takes about 20 minutes. The fare is $ 1.50 per ride but $ 1 for Military and Students (be sure to show your ID when you pay).
There are various passes available from Day, Weekly, to Monthly Passes and the prices are decent for the service they provide. They even have a new Bus System called BRIO that connects parts of the city that are a bit of a walk from the nearest bus stops and they offer FREE WIFI access onboard. Awesome!
For a small city like EP, my hometown New York City can learn a thing or two! Great Job El Paso!

El Paso is my hometown! I have decided to use public transportation whenever I am here because it is cheaper than a rental car and I know about the buses here since I have been taking them all my life. First of all, the buses are all basically new and the fare is not really high. I have to commend Sun MEtro for giving their customers change cards, as I cannot recall another public transportation system doing that! Most of the bus drivers are courteous… and when I called the customer service line, the agent answered quickly and appropriately. The only thing that I find hard to fathom is that the bus service ends so early for a big town. El Paso has certainly grown. or maybe I am just used to DART. whose buses and trains run until midnight or more

El PasoTX-​USA is working hard to achieve decent public transit for the area, and is doing a vastly improved job of it from 20 years ago, the last time my family & I took a bus from the Eastside to downtown to catch AMTRAK. Back then, the bus was late, and I needn’t be overly-​concerned because the Sunset Limited was quite late ads well-​by some 4 hours due to a grade crossing collision further West. Anyway, as a teacher for Ysleta ISD, I have always required that my students become familiar with a tremendous enabler of their freedom, before they can legally operate a (motor) vehicle on the roadways (and not necessarily by bicycle), which is boarding a Sun Metro bus. When I was at Riverside Middle School, one of my assignments was for the students to take #61 to downtown, go to the law library in the County Courthouse and get a cancellation stamp proving completion. For very little, students have complete access throughout the area. Recently, I’ve been working with individual students on specific routes, and have had the pleasure of seeing a few of the professional drivers[Gabby, Grace, Rafael, Sylvia, Avelina] performing the demanding task of operating their bus, taking care of the customers, and maintaining their composure throughout it all is inspirational. When I had a transportation presentation for 60 of my students, Laura Cruz-​Acosta equipped me with the latest information that I was able to give them. The website also had excellent videos that gave color to my words, available in both Spanish and English. The busses now have bike racks mounted to the front, capable of carrying two bicycles – though not my 13-​foot/​4meter long Doublevision! All of the terminals are new and spiffy looking and practical, meticulously kept clean; I think the Northgate could be the cleanest because of Socorro, who keeps it that way. Although I am first a bicyclist, I know not everybody will choose that for an effective transportation form; then I am very much a tram/​trolley/​streetcar/​cable car/​overhead-​car/​funicular fan, bus transportation is a vital leg of mass transit, used throughout the World and indicates how progressive any community is. I’m very glad El PasoTX-​USA is in that ranking!

I give it two stars because it at least runs and the call center works.
I wish I could just use public transporation all the time, but this bus system does not want people to do that. Only runs every half hour, unreliable timing, no GPS tracking (though they do have it available but don’t like using it to tell you where the bus is unless you pester them over the phone). The buses here are more expensive than in D.C. but you get none of the benefits of plastic cards that swipe easier, 10 minute buses, and express routes. I don’t get how they get off charging so much, particularly knowing the demographics of most of the bus riders. It worked well to get me from one side of the other without a car when I was 14, but now living in D.C. with cheaper and much better services, the Sun Metro is a disaster with a lot of potential.

«On April 15^th, 2008 the Texas Transit Association awarded Sun Metro with the Outstanding Metropolitan System Award, during the 2008 Texas Transit Conference in Waco, Texas for taking a leadership role in improving public transportation in Texas» (Sun Metro Website). While this may be the case, Sun Metro still has a long way to go. Part of the problem, I think, is the fact that El Paso drivers like to drive (though poorly) even more than drivers in LA, which have to drive. I would like to see sun metro improve with shaded bus stops, express routes, and web-​ticketing and passes.