Need a Ride?
Give us a call at (928) 475-5023 or (928) 475-5024
Please read through and comply with our Rules and Regulations.
Welcome Address
Welcome Everyone! Welcome to our Public Transit Website! In 2008, seeing the community’s need for reliable, affordable public transportation as essential to employment and educational opportunities. We started by acquiring three vans from the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) under the Job Access Reverse Commute (JARC) Program to begin. In 2012, we were able to attain two public transit buses to begin under ADOT Rural Transit Programs and the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) Tribal Transit Programs (TTP).
As of March of 2021, we will be in operation of 17 buses allocated for Public Transit runs and are COVID – 19 modified for the safety of the motoring public. We are excited about upgrading our Web Page for public transit systems with and are currently operating in Phase II of our Tribal Emergency Response Commission (TERC) Re-opening Plan where we are operating at a 50% of operations for Public Transit meaning two 24/7 transit runs are currently in operation, whereas, we are still on Lock Down where the other nine runs will resume at a later date, as we are directed by our Tribal Government and our Tribal Emergency Response Commission (TERC).
All our Transit Drivers are under the DOT Testing Safety Sensitive Employee Guidelines and are tested on a random quarterly basis. We are here to ensure safety of our motoring public. Thank you and you are welcomed to ride our public transit as safety concerns are addressed immediately concerning operating in a safely manner during this epidemic. We, as a Transit TEAM, are following all CDC Guidelines with Safety First in mind.
Sincerely yours.
Bernadette Kniffin, Director
San Carlos Nnee Bich’o Nii Transit Services
Mission Statement
It shall be the mission of the San Carlos TANF Apache Transit Transportation Department to transport all customers in a safe, professional and courteous manner.
As support staff, we are dedicated to meeting the needs of the customers, schools, agencies and the whole community in the common goal of transporting as efficiently and effectively as possible within the means available.
Routes & Fares
Apache Transit’s public routes operate Monday through Friday. They are closed on Saturday & Sunday and all Federal & Tribal Holidays.
- New Year’s Day (January 1)
- Martin Luther King, Jr. Day (3rd Monday of January)
- President’s Day (3rd Monday of February)
- Memorial’s Day (Last Monday of May)
- Apache Independence Day (June 18)
- Juneteenth (June 19)
- Independence Day (July 4)
- Labor Day (First Monday of September)
- Veteran’s Day (November 11)
- Thanksgiving (Last Thursday and Friday of November)
- Christmas (December 25)
FARES listed below are for one-way trips.
- San Carlos Local: $1.00
- San Carlos to to Casino: $1.50
- San Carlos to Globe: $1.50
- San Carlos to Safford: $3.50
- Bylas to San Carlos: $2.50
- Bylas to Casino: $3.00
- Bylas to Safford: $2.50
- Ft. Thomas to Safford: $1.50
A one-way trip to Globe is 22 miles west of the Peridot office and a one-way trip to Safford is 69 miles to the east of the Peridot office. These routes provide services for college students, people who work at the mines, hospital visits or patients, shoppers that need to go to Walmart or other businesses.
At the Globe Train Depot, you can connect to Copper Mountain Transit for trips throughout the Globe-Miami area. Click to see connecting routes.
This local route to Bylas covers another area of the San Carlos Apache Reservation. It is approximately 29 miles from the Peridot Nnee
Bich’o Nii office. This route serves employed individuals, college students, individuals and families meeting with human resource services, employment services at One-Stop Centers, hospitals, doctor’s offices, business and shopping opportunities.
Apache Gold Casino Resort & Apache Sky Casino have entered into an agreement with Nnee Bich’o Nii Apache Transit to provide transportation for their employees. This service operates 24-hours a day, 7 days a week and is funded by the casinos at no cost to their employees. This has assisted the casino in decreasing employee turnover and allowing tribal members to remain employed. With limited employment in San Carlos, this service provides economic opportunities for these individuals and families. We provide a morning, afternoon, and late run for the Casino.
About Transit
Nnee Bich’o Nii (“Helping the People” in Apache) provides transportation services to the general public in the San Carlos Apache Reservation and neighboring cities in the Globe and Safford areas. Our mission is to transport all customers in a safe, professional, and courteous manner.
The San Carlos Apache Reservation is located in southeastern Arizona between Globe and Safford and is Graham, Pinal, and Gila counties. The reservation was established in 1872 by the U.S. Congress and spans 1.8 million acres. The Apache Tribe maintains over 2400 miles of road ranging from state highway 70, BIA roads, county roads and tribal roads.
Reservation residents use transit for shopping, commuting, medical purposes, and to meet other family and personal needs. Elderly, disabled, low-income and TANF recipients use Nnee Bich’o Nii to attend social activities, appointments, educational opportunities and workforce development opportunities. For those families with children, we are available to transport them to childcare facilities with a responsible adult.
A past survey identified that there were over 3,000 elders registered with the San Carlos Apache Tribe. Elders and the disabled are important within the Apache culture. Nnee Bich’o Nii has dedicated transit staff for serving this population. This provides opportunities for these individuals, in collaboration with the Older Adult Center. Many of the elders and disabled residents become dependent on friends and relatives to provide transportation for their basic needs, thus limiting their independence. Nnee Bich’o Nii allows elders to ride based on a donation. Many of the elderly and disabled ride for free.
Our Fleet
The Fleet consists of 18 buses. .
