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by Nicolas Palacio

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UTA is restoring bus routes cut by the pandemic and adding new ones in a suburb near you

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UTA is restoring bus routes cut by the pandemic and adding new ones in a suburb near you

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Miller, J. (2025, January 15). UTA is restoring bus routes cut by the pandemic and adding new ones in a suburb near you. The Salt Lake Tribune. https://www.sltrib.com/news/2025/01/15/uta-is-restoring-adding-bus-routes/

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The Utah Transit Authority is back like never before.

Starting on April 13, the public transit agency will offer five new routes across four northern Utah counties, and three existing routes will get more frequent bus service, according to a Tuesday news release. The service expansion comes after a nearly 16% jump in ridership last year and will restore routes that have been dormant since the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Everything that we had is restored or rerouted and redesigned in a way that's providing the same service," UTA Executive Director Jay Fox said in an interview. "... There's a celebratory feeling here at UTA - shared by leadership, every employee - of growing again, because that's what we did for so many years. And post-pandemic, it's nice to be part of that again."

Labor shortages have plagued the agency in recent years, causing a reduction of service felt across the Salt Lake Valley. But UTA's attention to retention through consistent, reliable schedules and career development, Fox added, has helped it bounce back and hang on to drivers and operators.

"Our team put in a lot of effort ... to get people trained and also make sure that they were supported and they saw this is a career in something long term," Fox said. "And it's showing up, and that's why we're able to begin this process in April 2025."

This year's restoration includes more frequent service on Route 39, which connects West Valley Central Station to Olympus Cove through Millcreek; Route 201, which links South Jordan Station to Murray Central Station; and Route 218, which ties Sandy to South Jordan.

These three routes ranked among those sharply cut back during UTA's 2022 labor shortage.

The agency will also add or realign routes in Woods Cross, Fruit Heights, Draper and Sandy, among other areas. A full map of the 2025 changes can be found on UTA's website.

"The population continues to explode, and so you just need the additional service," Fox said. "We just need to continue that service to connect people together."

Beyond the bus new routes, UTA also is adding a new TRAX station in South Jordan at Daybreak Field at America First Square ahead of the April 8 opener for the relocating Salt Lake Bees. Salt Lake City residents will also get faster bus service with "Go Route" buses, which will start service in February and provide 15-minute or faster frequency to downtown destinations.

After its April 2025 focus on the southwest and central portions of the valley, UTA plans to make more investments along the east side - including in Murray, Holladay and Cottonwood Heights - in 2026. The agency also expects to add new service farther north and south, in Ogden, Provo and Spanish Fork next year.

Besides connecting booming Salt Lake Valley suburbs, Fox said, these new routes will also provide an economic boost for the Beehive State.

"We're buying new [TRAX] rail cars from a local manufacturer, so that increases jobs, and that increases our focus on Utah business," Fox said. "Transit is a) about transportation, but b) about building communities, both in terms of servicing this population, but also in terms of building the economy."

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UTA is restoring bus routes cut by the pandemic and adding new ones in a suburb near you

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UTA is bouncing back post-COVID with new and and expanded bus and rail service.

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This article describes the expansion and restoration of bus routes in Utah. The capabilities and size of the Utah Transit Authority decreased during Covid but now they are pushing new expansion. The UTA has seen a jump in public transport use in the past year and they are responding accordingly. They anticipate this plan will help mobility and to stimulate the local economy.

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1. Salt lake city - Salt Lake City is the largest city in the state of Utah. The city itself has a population of over a million and the larger metropolitan area nearly 3 million. It is generally most well known for its nature, art and the Mormon church.

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Working class people who need effective transport benefit. Those looking for work benefit from potential work directly related to transportation or the local industry supplying railcars to the UTA.

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Finding where the transit is most needed and designing routes that will fit the needs of as many people as possible.

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Pros - provide a cheap option for people to get to work, will likely reduce emissions and stimulate the local economy.

Cons - May hurt the automotive industry, and needs a large sum of public funds.

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Boston is the 11th largest city in the country and has been a notable city throughout most of American history. The city has had many controversial planning initiatives in the past and is generally known for its importance in revolutionary history and the world-class institutions of higher education.

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Renewed focus on public transit and a focus on making sure the growth will benefit those living in the city in particular. Addition of “Go Routes” which are routes with very frequent bus arrivals for specific locations.

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I found it interesting and admirable how reactive the city government of Salt Lake City was to the needs of its people. They saw the growing population and increased use and quickly expanded their public transit capabilities. I generally have a positive outlook on the expansion of public transportation, it is good for the environment and really helps to give more options to those who may have trouble affording a car. This only affects me tangentially in the way that hopefully it is a sign of a trend of more local efforts to increase public transit viability.

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Massachusetts Unveils $8 Billion Funding Plan for Public Transit

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Massachusetts Unveils $8 Billion Funding Plan for Public Transit

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Taylor, S. (2025, January 14). Massachusetts unveils $8 billion funding plan for public transit. Bloomberg.com. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-01-14/massachusetts-unveils-8-billion-funding-plan-for-public-transit?leadSource=uverify+wall

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The Massachusetts state government intends to invest 8 billion dollars into a revamp of its transportation infrastructure. A big part of this is being dedicated to the aging Boston subway. The governor plans to fund this through the State’s millionaire tax which is an additional 4% tax on income over 1 million dollars. The plan has a wide scope and is set out to improve roads, bridges and public transit all across the state.

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The entire state of Massachusetts will be affected, anyone who commutes to work, uses public transit, or works in construction and related industries

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Planning for road closure, road expansion, new construction, analyzing best places to put new bridges roads and possible subway expansion.

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Planning for road closure, road expansion, new construction, analyzing best places to put new bridges roads, and possible subway expansion.

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Pros - Huge economic stimulation, rejuvenated city, mass employment

Cons - Road closures, likely temporary congestion, very expensive

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No raise in taxes for working class, huge project funded by millionaire tax in Massachusetts

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I found the scale and the way this project is being funded is very interesting. It is a good example of using taxing the rich to further equality and help working class people through economic stimulation and better transit quality and options. I feel good but skeptical of big projects like this, while I do think big projects are great for economic stimulation they can also end up taking a lot longer and becoming a lot more expensive than they originally project.

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Transit Agencies Are Taking Small Steps Toward Family-Friendly Systems

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Transit Agencies Are Taking Small Steps Toward Family-Friendly Systems

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Pan, H. J. (2023, February 27). Transit agencies are taking small steps toward family-friendly systems. Next City. https://nextcity.org/urbanist-news/transit-agencies-are-taking-small-steps-toward-family-friendly-systems

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Transit Agencies Are Taking Small Steps Toward Family-Friendly Systems

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Increasing transit access for seniors, pregnant people and families traveling with small children means better mobility for everyone.

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A trend across the country to support women and families better on public transportation. Spearheaded by the Tri Delta Transit, accommodations like places to park strollers and preferred seating for pregnant women have been implemented. Many agencies have recognized the bias in the field of transportation planning which was largely male and took steps to implement systems to help women and mothers in particular.

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Contra Coast County - Contra Costa County is a largely suburban part of the bay area bordering the dense urban centers of San Francisco and Sacramento. It is also prominent for some of its agricultural output.

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Easier use of transit for mothers and families.

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Accessibility

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Space designated for pregnant women and strollers

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Already been implemented in Contra County and is being discussed in L.A county

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The differing aspects of the expansion will finish at different points but it seems the majority will be completed between February and April of this year.

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Will be implemented as part of the 2026 budget

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I thought this article was interesting because as a young man accommodations like this are not always something I consider but they are an important part of planning. I think this is good, mothers of young children have some of the hardest times getting through the sometimes exhausting public transit systems. Making things a little easier on them seems well worth it. Having systems like this in place would make one aspect of starting a family easier and more appealing

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The three articles all focus on public transit in U.S. cities but all the projects are on very different scales. Massachusetts has a massive transportation renewal plan, Salt Lake City has a moderate but significant rejuvenation of their public transit in the works and Contra County addressed one very particular issue they felt was important in their transportation system. The article that stood out to me the most was the Bloomberg article covering the Massachusetts funding plan for transportation, mostly due to the way it was being funded. Naturally when huge budgets like the 8 billion being proposed by the Massachusetts government the question is always, how are we going to pay for it? The solution proposed I think is a common sense and effective one, using a tax on the wealthy to benefit the state as a whole. While the Bloomberg article was the most enlightening for me the Next City article on family-friendly transit systems was the most thorough, analyzing a wide timespan of family-friendly transit developments.