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SALT LAKE CITY — This is the final week people can ride UVX for free before regular fares are implemented on the bus rapid transit for the first time since it debuted in 2018, but that's not the only change coming to Utah Transit Authority's service.
Sunday marks the agency's annual August change day, where adjustments to schedules and service begin. Adding fares to UVX service may be the most noticeable change this time around. It will cost riders $2.50 per trip — or $1.25 for recipients of reduced fares — once the schedule changes.
UTA hadn't collected fares for the system when it debuted because of a federal grant it received to build the line between Orem and Provo. That stipulation was set to expire last year before the UTA board of trustees extended the zero-fare program into this month just before the deadline in December 2023.
The agency then proposed to introduce fares to the service earlier this year.
However, UTA fares director Monica Howe told KSL.com at the time that she believed it wouldn't impact most of its riders. About 85%-95% of UVX riders already used some sort of subsidized pass through school or their employer. The service will remain free for Utah Valley University and BYU students and staff with their school-issued IDs. There are no additional charges for riders with an Eco Pass or similar transit passes.
Most of the other changes to be implemented on Sunday will also involve fares. UTA will also follow through on its plan to expand reduced fare eligibility from 150% to 200% of the federal poverty level, meaning that people earning less than $30,120 to $105,440 per year — depending on household size — will be able to qualify for reduced fare.
Big changes to the FAREPAY card system will be implemented as well. Under a more simplified system, it would cost a maximum of $5 per day or $20 per week for people with a card for TRAX or buses only — or $10 per day and $40 per week for people who tack on FrontRunner service. Those who qualify for reduced fares would pay $8 to $16 per week depending on the services included on their card.
A 20% discount that card users could get beforehand will be removed.
There aren't as many major service changes this time around. Bus Route 606 in Weber County will be eliminated, but the route was already suspended. New routes will be introduced to a handful of other routes, some to account for construction detours ending or needing to be added and others to improve the current route.
UTA's ridership continues to increase after the COVID-19 pandemic. The agency reported 118,003 average weekday boardings in July, almost a 13% increase from July 2023 and the most in July since 2019. Ridership tends to increase in August and September as K-12 and higher education classes resume, which is typically why UTA changes its schedule every August.
