Arizona canyon tram service shuts down during court battle

PHOENIX — A legal fight has, for the time being, knocked out a popular tram service that provides tours of a southern Arizona canyon.

Shuttle tours temporarily ended Saturday, when the contract with Sabino Canyon Tour Company expired. The Coronado National Forest tweeted out there could potentially be a “gap in service” before a new permit holder was chosen.

The tour company had the contract for almost 30 years before a new operator took over this year.

Sabino Canyon Tour appealed the decision.

Forest Service officials said their policy was not to transition to a new contractor while an appeal was underway.

Tucson station KGUN reported in January that electric shuttles could replace the diesel-powered trams that were being used.

The Regional Partnering Center proposed operating an electric shuttle in Sabino Canyon with the help of a $2.5 million from Tucson Electric Power. The utility company, Pascua Yaqui and Tohono Oodham nations and the Regional Transportation Authority formed a partnership to for the quieter, zero-emission shuttles.

Sabino Canyon Tour shuttles run on diesel. Company representatives told the station that the U.S. Forest Service wasn’t giving them enough time to get financing in place to make a competitive bid.

The tours’s weekday summer hours were from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and weekends and holidays were 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. There were also evening rides April, May June, September, October and November.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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