Utah Transit Officials Promote BRT

The state’s transit agency is building out new bus rapid transit lines, but has not reversed the sweeping cuts to local bus service made last year.

1 minute read

August 17, 2023, 11:00 AM PDT

By Diana Ionescu @aworkoffiction


White, red, and blue Utah Transit Authority bus at stop with man standing on sidewalk next to bicycle

Utah Transit Authority / UTA Bus

An article by Erin Alberty, Jeremy Duda, and Kim Bojórquez in Axios describes how Utah transportation officials are pushing to expand bus service, particularly bus rapid transit (BRT).

According to the article, Utah cities are building new BRT routes, but also cutting service on existing local routes. Last fall, the Utah Transit Authority announced massive cuts on 20 bus lines, including many that serve the state’s popular ski resorts, impacting tourists and the local residents who rely on transit to access their jobs.

The existing BRT lines, the latest of which launched this month in Weber County, offer free fares for their first three years of operation. “In Salt Lake County, a new BRT line called the Midvalley Connector is expected to be completed by 2025.”

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