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SALT LAKE CITY — Public transit riders in three northern Utah counties should expect some welcome service improvements in the coming months, thanks to a voter-approved tax increase.
The Utah Transit Authority announced Wednesday that the agency is planning various upgrades, including new bus routes, expanded service, along with improved amenities at bus stops. The improvements will occur primarily in Davis and Weber counties as well as Tooele County — where voters approved Proposition 1, the tax hike that would increase the county sales tax by one penny for every $4 spent to fund roads, transit, trails and sidewalks.
Of the new tax money, 40 percent will go to the Utah Transit Authority in counties that approved the increase and are served by the public transportation agency. The remaining 40 percent will go to city budgets for local projects and 20 percent will go to county budgets for regional projects.
In counties without a transit district, 40 percent will go to cities and 60 percent will go to counties. The measure was on the ballot in 17 Utah counties, passing in 10 of those counties.
This year, UTA forecasts expenditures of approximately $4.8 million in Davis and Weber counties based on projected sales tax collection beginning in April, said Eddy Cumins, regional general manager of the Mount Ogden business unit. That amount should increase significantly next year, he added, to about $8.1 million when the agency is able to collect sales tax for an entire year.
The agency said the service improvements should result in an overall 38 percent increase in bus services, including an 18 percent jump in weekend bus services.
"We're going to focus primarily on increased span of service," he said. "(Riders) have said they want to see improved frequency, more weekend service, additional coverage to certain markets, improved connectivity, faster more direct service and they want us to implement demand/response-type programs."
He said the agency is putting together preliminary plans to address the needs of the riders in the northern Utah counties that approved the proposition. The proposed new bus routes would be in Davis County, he said, while Weber County would probably see some routes realigned to serve more passengers on already existing routes.
"What we're focusing on in Weber County is weekend service and span of service — earlier in the morning and later in the evening," Cumins said. He added most upgrades will likely take a few months to initiate.
"It's really about improving the system that we have," he said.
He noted that the agency will conduct several public meetings in the coming weeks to get input on what changes riders find most useful. In addition, the agency plans to meet with local civic leaders to get their thoughts on the perceived needs of the various communities.
"We're going to listen to all that feedback and we're going to make the necessary adjustments … looking to push the new service out in August," Cumins said.
Besides Davis and Weber counties, Tooele County will also receive some service enhancements, said UTA service planning manager Christopher Chesnut.
"We're looking at improving local service right now," he said, adding that UTA registers about 200,000 boardings per year in Tooele County.
Chesnut also said that over the next couple of years, the agency plans to consider improving midday service to Salt Lake City.
"One of the big things we heard from people in Tooele is that they want to connect to Salt Lake during the middle of the day," he said.
The estimated annual budget for improvements in Tooele is about $550,000, he added.
