The Utah Transit Authority — and Utah skiers and snowboarders by association — will get by with a little help from its friends this winter.
UTA has been trying to claw its way out of a supply-side hole ever since it slashed its Ski Bus services due to a driver shortage prior to the 2022-23 season. The cuts, which included lopping off the entire 953 route to Little Cottonwood Canyons, coincided with a surge in resort visitors and Ski Bus ridership over the past two winters. As a result, would-be passengers were at times left waiting hours at valley bus stops or trapped atop one of the Cottonwood Canyons with no way back down.
For the 2024-25 season, though, the UTA is bringing in backup. A spokesperson confirmed to the Salt Lake Tribune that the agency has contracted with a third party to provide drivers for Ski Bus routes this winter. With the additional drivers, UTA plans to expand its service up Little Cottonwood Canyon with two “enhancements” that will essentially reinstate the sorely missed 953 route. The rest of the routes, UTA spokesperson Gavin Gustafson said, will remain the same as in 2023-24.
“Route 953 was our most popular route for both employees and guests,” said Dave Fields, Snowbird’s general manager. “To have it back is such great news. And we just really appreciate the work UTA has done to come up with a creative solution to get it back.”
UTA will refer to the two “enhancements” as Canyon Service 1 and 2. Both will run from Dec. 8 to April 12. Other Ski Bus services in the canyons will begin Nov. 29.
(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Skiers and snowboarders line up for the ski bus along Wasatch Blvd. near Big Cottonwood Canyon as the Salt Lake Valley gets covered in snow on Wednesday, Feb. 22, 2023.
CS1, Gustafson said, will cater to “employees and early birds.” It will provide service every half an hour from 6-8:30 a.m. daily from the Midvale Fort Union Trax station to the Goldminer’s Daughter stop at Alta Ski Area. Service on the route will resume in the evenings from 5-7:30.
Between its early and late service, CS1 will run intermittently from the Midvale Fort Union Trax station to the 6200 South Wasatch Blvd. Park & Ride. There, skiers and snowboarders have two choices. They can catch the 972 up to Brighton or Solitude Mountain Resort in Big Cottonwood Canyon or jump onto the CS2 bound for Little Cottonwood Canyon.
That 6200 Wasatch Park & Ride is where the CS2 will begin and end its daily service, which runs from 8:20 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Its route will then take it south along Wasatch Boulevard with stops at the Big Cottonwood Canyon Park & Ride and the Cottonwood Heights Park & Ride near 8100 South (also known as the “swamp lot”). From there, it will only make stops at Snowbird and Alta in Little Cottonwood Canyon.
Both CS1 and CS2 will use 40-foot buses that UTA introduced to the fleet last year.
The 994 route from Historic Sandy Station to Little Cottonwood Canyon and the 972 route up Big Cottonwood Canyon will run as usual. In addition, “surge service,” introduced last year by the UTA as a form of bandage during times of heaviest demand, will be back.
“We do have additional resources ready and available,” Gustafson said in an email, “for peak hours, weekends, and holidays, as needed.”
Last year, despite its struggles, the Ski Bus saw increased ridership up both canyons. Buses in Big Cottonwood Canyon gave 192,000 rides, according to UTA tracking, a 9% increase over the 2022-2023 season, when Utah saw record-setting snowfall. Ridership in Little Cottonwood was about 141,000, an 8.5% increase over the previous winter.
In an effort to address its gaps in service, UTA has made sizable strides in hiring and retaining drivers. Last October, the agency had 101 open operator positions out of 864 total openings. This year, Gustafson said, “UTA is fully staffed, systemwide.” He said the agency hired approximately 400 new bus operators in 2023 and has graduated 80% of new bus operators in 2024.
Still, it will be relying on a third party to steer some of its Ski Buses. Its choice, The Driver Provider, ran the Cottonwood Connect the past two seasons. That paid, reservation-only service will be discontinued for 2024-25.
(Bethany Baker | The Salt Lake Tribune) A bus for Cottonwood Connect Ski Shuttle waits at the Holladay Park and Ride in Holladay on Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2023.
Gustafson said the buses will look the same whether they’re steered by a UTA driver or one from a third party.
“It’s going to be UTA services,” he said. “When you look at the bus and it has the UTA logo, it’s a UTA service.”
The cost also hasn’t changed. It is $5 each way, and tickets can be purchased at bus stop vending machines or on the UTA Transit app. The fare also allows travel on Trax or city buses within two hours of purchase. Note, too, that skiers with a season pass to one of the Cottonwood Canyons resorts, an Ikon Pass or a Salt Lake Super Pass can ride the Ski Bus for free.
One snag UTA has mostly been unable to avoid is that its Ski Buses are subjected to the same “red snake” backup as other vehicles trying to get up and down the two-lane roads that swivel through both Cottonwood Canyons. Gustafson pointed out that sometimes the Ski Bus gets to cut in front of the line. He said UDOT’s plan to partner with the Sandy and Cottonwood Heights police departments to increase traction checks in the canyons should also help.
“We’re thrilled about it,” he said. He added, “We have chains. We comply with the traction law. So, if anything, it will improve service by improving the state of the highways.”
UDOT has warned that the checks may at first result in additional delays in getting to the resorts. It encouraged skiers and employees to have patience until officers work out an efficient tire-checking system and more people acquire the stickers that will allow them to bypass the checkpoints.
Busing is a key cog in UDOT’s plans for reining in traffic in both Cottonwood Canyons in the long run. Gustafson said UTA is finally in a place where that seems feasible.
Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune A UTA Ski bus heads down Big Cottonwood Canyon, Monday, March 13, 2017.
“I think we’ve had some challenges,” UTA spokesperson Gavin Gustafson said, “but I think we’re getting back to where we all want to be.”
In addition to the Cottonwood Canyons, UTA runs Ski Bus service to Powder Mountain and Snowbasin in the Ogden Valley and to Sundance Resort near Orem. No changes are planned to those routes, Gustafson said. Service to the Ogden Valley resorts — routes 674, 675 and 677, which all connect to FrontRunner stations — is set to begin Dec. 1. Route 880 to Sundance is expected to come online Dec. 21.
UTA does not provide Ski Bus service to Park City. However, High Valley Transit runs a commuter route, the 107, between Kimball Junction and Salt Lake City. That route runs seven times a day. The first bus leaves Salt Lake City at 6:10 a.m. and the last bus from Kimball Junction leaves at 8:10 p.m.
Ski Bus updates and schedule changes can be found starting Friday at rideuta.com/ski.
