Sun City in the early 1960s represented a new sense of freedom for retirees — male and female.

However, many women of that period did not drive, relying on their husbands for transportation. In order to take advantage of the great variety of sports, craft and other activities, Del Webb Development Corp. officials introduced the Shop Lifter to take residents of Phase 1 to shopping, restaurants, rec centers and more. The open-air trolley seated 25 and was pulled by a Jeep. It made regular rounds of Phase 1 from 1963 to 1967. All riders had to do was hail it with a wave of the hand and step aboard. Rides were free.

With Sun City continuing to grow and expand, DEVCO introduced the Sun City Bus Line in 1967 — a fleet of buses with plush seats, tinted glass and a chime system for riders to signal their stops, but no air conditioning.

By 1981, patrons were paying 35 cents per ride to all the major shopping areas within Sun City. A cost analysis done by the Webb organization revealed that it was actually costing the company $6 per ride. The Arizona Corporation Commission turned down their request to increase the fare to $1.50, and the bus line folded in 1982.

Sun City West opened in October 1978 before its first rec center and shopping center were available to residents. DEVCO offered tours to keep the residents busy with buses taking them to the state capitol, the zoo, to Tucson, Sedona, the Grand Canyon and more — all free. Many trips ended with a visit to the then Del Webb-owned Mountain Shadows Resort for tea and sweets. When the R.H. Johnson Recreation Center, 19803 R.H. Johnson Blvd., opened in March 1979, this free entertainment service was dropped. Since there was no shopping in Sun City West, DEVCO launched the Sun City West Bus Line. It ran 9 a.m.-3 p.m. weekdays. The bus, which was really a van, made a trip around the community each hour, and took shoppers to stores in Sun City. Fares were 35 cents or 20 rides for $5. When the Camino del Sol Shopping Center — now Sundome Plaza — opened in September 1980, bus service to Sun City ended.

The two vans that had served Sun City West residents were donated to Sun City Area Transit, which started in September 1982. Residents phoned to order a van, which delivered them from door to door, unlike traditional bus service on fixed routes — sort of an early Uber or Lyft, one might say.

In November 1983, a new service emerged in Sun City — Trolleys Molly and Dolly. Touted as a free shopping trolley, go-to-lunch trolley, sight-seeing trolley and fun-to-ride trolley, they ran every 30 minutes. They were financed by advertising and donations from more than 100 merchants. But the service lasted less than six months until Easter 1984.

SCAT struggled with the rising cost of gasoline, finding and keeping drivers, and with vehicle replacement. But it kept serving both communities until the end of 2010. At that time, a partnership between Valley Metro and Discount Cab was formed to offer rides for those with disabilities.

The challenge of providing transportation to those without cars continues to this day. Fortunately, Royal Oaks has solved the problem for its residents, offering rides to stores, banks, doctors and more as needed. For others, Northwest Valley Connect was formed as a partnership in 2014 between Benevilla and Sun Health. The agency continues to operate today.