In 1969, the City of Tucson agreed to assume control of Tucson Rapid Transit's struggling system. Under the city's direction, public transit began to flourish. Ridership increased, new buses were purchased and service rapidly improved. In 1975, a contest was held and the system was renamed Sun Tran. Today, Sun Tran operates 38 fixed routes with a fleet of 203 coaches and serves the City of Tucson and portions of Pima County. The award-winning system remains on the cutting edge of technology as it has since the beginning.