Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
SALT LAKE CITY — The west side of Salt Lake City has, for some time, dealt with gaps in public transportation service.
Now a microtransit program will aim to fix that.
Utah Transit Authority officials on Thursday announced it is bringing its microtransit service to Salt Lake City's west side, providing services for the city's Fairpark, Glendale, Poplar Grove and Rose Park neighborhoods beginning on Dec. 13. It will be the second permanent UTA On Demand service area for the agency.
"This ... program brings together the convenience of on demand service with the affordability of public transit in a way that will greatly benefit our residents," said Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall in a statement. "I'm so pleased there will be an additional means of transportation west side residents can rely on for their commutes, errands, recreation and more."
Microtransit is sort of a mix between ride-share apps and traditional bus services. Riders use a cellphone app to hail a ride and a UTA On Demand minivan picks that person up if they are within the service area.
The announcement Thursday comes nearly two months after the agency wrapped up its citywide UTA On Demand pilot program that ran weekend evenings between the Memorial Day and Labor Day weekends. The permanent service will only run in a smaller portion of the city and have expanded hours this time around.
Beginning Dec. 13, it will be available daily, with available service beginning at 4 a.m. Monday through Saturday and concluding at 12:15 a.m. the following day. It will also run from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Sundays. Per the agency's website, all trips must start and end within the designated service area. All pickups and dropoffs are made "corner-to-corner" instead of exit locations. UTA officials said Thursday that there is an option to request a vehicle with wheelchair accessibility.
Rides cost $2.50 one way, or the standard fare for a bus, through the UTA On Demand app. The app can be found on both Apple's App Store or Google Play. UTA officials said Thursday that payments can be made through credit or debit card. In addition, riders with FAREPAY cards, Eco Pass or Ed Pass can link their account into the app to pay for service. Payments can also be made with paper tickets and transfers by selecting "UTA paper ticket or transfer" in the app and showing a paper or mobile ticket when boarding a UTA On Demand vehicle.
"This service will truly benefit the residents of Salt Lake City's west side with increased mobility, connections to our other transit services, and access to their local community," said UTA Board of Trustees Chairman Carlton Christensen in a statement. "We appreciate Salt Lake City's support and vision for innovative transit solutions."
UTA first launched its UTA On Demand as a pilot program in southwest Salt Lake County in 2019. In August, after nearly two years of it as a pilot program, it became an official UTA service for Bluffdale, Draper, Herriman, South Jordan and Riverton, as well as parts of Sandy, joining UTA's fleet of buses, light rail and commuter rail service along the Wasatch Front.
