Tucson's municipal bus system added two more routes this week as the strike by drivers and mechanics hits the five-week mark.
Sun Tran management announced it added service Tuesday on Route 34, along North Craycroft and East Fort Lowell roads, and Wednesday on Route 23, along South Mission Road and into South Tucson.
Those additions bring to 12 the number of routes operating from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. weekdays. Saturday service is more limited, and Sunday service has been canceled since the strike began Aug. 5.
Before the strike, Sun Tran operated 43 routes in the metropolitan area, carrying 66,000 passenger trips a day.
The Tucson City Council, which contracts with Professional Transit Management to run the bus system, was scheduled to get an update on it at Wednesday afternoon's council study session, Councilwoman Regina Romero's office confirmed.
Romero said last week that she asked for the update and for a discussion among council members, who have become increasingly vocal about the strike and its effects on the community.
City officials cannot get directly involved in the negotiations under federal funding rules, which led the city to contract with a private company to run the bus system and hire workers privately. That is to meet federal rules that allow unionization and strikes. The City Charter bans public employees from striking.
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