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SALT LAKE CITY -- A fuel surcharge could be tacked on to Utah Transit Authority fares as early as Oct. 1 if diesel fuel prices remain high.
The average price of diesel over the first eight weeks of the quarter has been above $3. UTA has a system to incrementally increase the surcharge, depending on the price of diesel.
"It's directly tied to fuel prices -- especially in a year where budgets are tight anyway," spokesman Gerry Carpenter told KSL Newsradio Friday morning. "If fuel is costing us a lot of money, we have to figure out a way to pay for it."
If the price of diesel is between $3 and $4, a surcharge of 25 cents is added on about three months later. If the price ranges from $4 to $5, it is a 50-cent surcharge. If the cost is above $5, the surcharge is 75 cents.
"It is something that's outside of our control," Carpenter said. "If prices go up, we put the fuel surcharge on. If they come back down, hopefully we can take it off again."
UTA first instituted the fuel surcharge in May 2008, when gas prices were soaring. The surcharge was removed in April 2009 amid declining prices.
E-mail: aadams@ksl.com
