SALT LAKE CITY (Jan. 14, 2025) — The Utah Transit Authority saw a 15.5% overall ridership gain over 2023, accounting for more than 40 million boardings across bus, rail, light rail, streetcar, vanpool, paratransit and microtransit. UTA has recovered to 91.5% of its pre-pandemic ridership (98.5% on bus) and is ahead of the national ridership recovery average of 79% (American Public Transportation Association). More than 58% of Utah’s entire population resides within a half mile of UTA’s transit service.

UTA 2024 Ridership (and year-over-year percent increase from 2023):
Total 2024 ridership, systemwide = 40,478,945, +15.5%

• Bus = 20,163,298, +10.1%
• FrontRunner = 4,128,459, +10.5%
• TRAX = 13,509,954, +26.5%
• S-Line Streetcar = 454,887, +24.1%
• Paratransit = 366,096, +6.6%
• Vanpool = 1,127,566, +9.1% 
• UTA On Demand = 567,908, +36.8%

Other UTA Notable 2024 Achievements
UTA made record strides in ridership, planning and new project starts. 2024 highlights include:

• Received $62.8 million federal grant and kicked off construction on the Midvalley Express (MVX). This all-electric bus rapid transit (BRT) line is set to open in 2026 with dedicated lanes to connect Murray, West Valley City, and Taylorsville, and places like Salt Lake Community College and the Maverick Center.
• UTA On Demand innovative mobility service reached 1 million riders.
• The all-electric BRT, Ogden Express (OGX), celebrated its one-year anniversary with nearly 1 million riders.
• Showcased transit's role in supporting the 2034 Winter Games. The top five planned capital projects that will support Utah’s population growth long-term and benefit the Games include:
• FrontRunner double track
• TRAX Orange Line
• Mid-Valley Express (MVX) bus rapid transit line
• Davis-to-SLC Connector
• 5600 West Enhanced Bus
• Utah-based Stadler U.S. awarded contract to build up to 80 new light rail vehicles. New models will replace aging vehicles and add all-level boarding.
• Ranked among the top three in the North American Rider's Choice Awards for Best Customer Service (2nd place) and Best Bus Operators (3rd place).
• Achieved full staffing for operators since the onset of national labor shortages.
• Installed all-level boarding gap-filler on FrontRunner station platforms. By removing the gap between the platform and train, rail passengers, especially those with mobility devices, strollers and bikes, board faster, safer and easier.
• Created 5-Year Service Plan for adding 9 million more service miles to the UTA system. This public-informed plan begins April 2025 Change Day to add and restore routes and frequency across UTA’s entire service area. The 5-Year Service Plan compliments two other significant planning documents also completed in 2024, the UTA Moves 2050 Long-Range Transit Plan and the 10-Year Capital Plan.
• The 2023-2024 season ended with a 4% Ski Bus ridership bump and exceeded 400,000 boardings. UTA added two Ski Bus routes to Big and Little Cottonwood Canyons for the 2024-2025 season.

Coming in 2025
The upcoming year will bring more service, frequency and improvements to UTA’s growing ridership, including:

• Adding and restoring service and frequency across the entire system on April Change Day. Significant service additions, expansions and enhancements are coming over the next five years throughout the system.
• Expanding UTA On Demand microtransit service to west Provo, including Provo Airport, in April.
• Opening a new TRAX station in South Jordan at Daybreak Field in time for the Salt Lake Bees opening day.
• Launching 15-minute service or faster Go Route buses in Salt Lake City in February.
• Adding a new Utah Valley Express (UVX) 900 East station on BYU campus late fall.
• Installing new ticket and tap machines and upgrading payment technology across the system.

Riders are encouraged to follow these updates and stories on social channels @rideuta and plan their trip on rideuta.com or the Transit app.
Media assets available here.


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