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.”
