Despite a catchy name, ridership for the Sedona RoadRunner transit service never quite lived up to expectations.

The service will make its final run Sunday, June 5, before it is discontinued. RoadRunner vehicles will be transferred to the Arizona Department of Transportation and Lake Havasu City for their use. The RoadRunner service is offered by the Northern Arizona Intergovernmental Public Transportation Authority. Besides RoadRunner, NAIPTA also offers the Verde Lynx service through Sedona and Cottonwood, the Cottonwood Area Transit service in Cottonwood, and the Mountain Line service in Flagstaff.

Jeff Meilbeck, NAIPTA general manager, said the service was part of an agreement with the city after they expressed a need for the service in the area. Following the final run, crews will remove signposts and other indicators the service is offered.

“The signs will come down, the brochures will be pulled back and the last trip will be Sunday night, June 5,” Meilbeck said.

Sedona City Councilman Dan McIlroy said that, while he was in favor of ending the service, he did agree to give it some time to see if ridership would improve. In his opinion, it never really did.

“When I ran for council about a year and a half ago, part of my platform was to get rid of the RoadRunner because it was inefficient, oversized, didn’t carry enough people and was costing too much money,” McIlroy said. “There were not enough people riding it to justify it, so we all voted to end it.”

If a need for transit service continues to be discussed for the area, he said he would be in favor of exploring possible partnerships between the city and the business community.

“Something where we would have small, more efficient, maybe battery-powered vehicles, or small gas-powered, diesel-powered carriages that would fill that need. If there really is a need,” McIlroy said. “I am sympathetic and will listen, but I sure don’t want tax money supporting it the way it has been. If there was some way a private consortium could take it over that would be wonderful.”

Patt Groves, manager of an Uptown Jeep tour company, said she believed the RoadRunner service offered a nice amenity to businesses, but rarely heard anyone inquire about it.

“I never used it. I never really knew its value or anything,” Groves said. “I’ve had people ask about the Lynx, but I’ve never had anyone ask where they can catch the RoadRunner. I think one time somebody stopped me to ask about it, and that was a long time ago.”

While originally scheduled to shut down at the end of June, that date was later changed to June 5. Members of Sedona City Council voted unanimously to end the service during a January meeting. RoadRunner’s public perception has been mostly negative, Sedona Mayor Rob Adams said, due to the transit service’s low ridership.