UTA to expand its on-demand service in Utah County amid new service changes

SALT LAKE CITY — Utah's largest transit agency is expanding its microtransit service to more parts of Utah County, while also extending its fare-less option for another service in Weber County.

Utah Transit Authority's UTA on Demand will extend out to Alpine, American Fork, Cedar Hills, Eagle Mountain, Highland, Lehi, Lindon, Pleasant Grove and Saratoga Springs beginning on Monday.

The agency brought its microtransit service, essentially a blend between traditional bus and ride-share options, to other parts of the county last year. Its initial offering included 8.6 square miles between Provo and Orem, but its expansion adds 77.3 square miles across the state's fastest-growing county.

In a statement, UTA director Jay Fox said UTA on Demand will help residents have more "flexibility" to connect with other alternative transportation options.

"This new service is an important step in ensuring transportation options keep pace with that growth," he said.

People can hail a ride within the zone through an app, much like a ride-share. However, all rides must remain within the service area between 6 a.m. and 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and it's a "curbside service," meaning riders are "picked up and dropped off close to (their) destination."

Drivers may also pick up other riders going to different destinations while picking up and dropping off someone. The fare is $2.50, which is the same as a UTA bus ride or rail service.

UTA partners with Via to operate its microtransit options, but it says some riders may receive a Lyft vehicle during "peak hours." They won't need the Lyft app or to pay separately in those situations.

The program was first launched as a permanent program in 2021 to expand transit options in southwest Salt Lake County. The new Utah County zone is now the sixth that UTA offers.

OGX to remain fare-free through spring 2028

Bus rapid transit systems are the other options UTA has implemented more of recently, which essentially use higher-frequency bus service and dedicated lanes to mimic light-rail service.

Ogden Express, or OGX, was the second of these, running between Ogden Central Station and Weber State University via downtown Ogden, when it debuted in 2023. Thanks to federal grants that helped pay for it, it was a free-to-ride service when it launched.

That requirement was supposed to expire by this month, but UTA announced OGX will remain fare-free for at least another year and a half. UTA leaders said that, in coordination with Ogden and the Wasatch Front Regional Council, it received more federal operating assistance to keep it fare-free until spring 2028.

Other changes

A few other notable changes will begin on Sunday, as part of UTA's triannual schedule change day.

For instance, Salt Lake Central Station will now serve as the southern terminus of UTA's Route 470 bus, which runs between Salt Lake City and Ogden. Route 472, which has traditionally run between Salt Lake City and Riverdale, will now have its northern terminus end near 17th Street and Wall Avenue in Ogden.

Route 205, which runs between Salt Lake City's west side and Murray, will finally return to its regular route that runs through 600/700 North in Rose Park that had been closed for a bridge repair project and other improvements that began last year.

A detour for another bus route is now part of its permanent route. Route 54, from Murray to Kearns, will now use the north entrance of Murray Central Station.

Most other changes are tied to small timing tweaks to UTA's schedules, which is normally the case.

The agency operates trains, buses and other vehicles across the Wasatch Front, with connections into Box Elder and Tooele counties, too. More than 40 million boardings across its system were reported last year, as its bus ridership reached close to 100% of its pre-COVID-19 pandemic levels in 2025.

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