As more Utah residents need to be vaccinated to protect against COVID-19, the Utah Transit Authority is offering free rides. On Friday, she announced a continuation of the program.
“UTA continues to support nationwide efforts to improve access to COVID-19 vaccinations by extending its free rates to and from scheduled vaccination appointments for an additional three months,” said Carl Arky, Senior Media Relations Specialist at UTA.
“Originally introduced in March and planned to run until June 30th, UTA’s free tariffs have now been extended to all UTA modes through September 30th, including TRAX, FrontRunner, S-Line Tram, Bus, Paratransit, UTA On Demand Service and PC-SLC Connect, ”added Arky.
The free tariff is valid on the day of the vaccination appointment. Drivers must have a confirmed vaccination appointment and show their appointment confirmation either in print or on a mobile device when boarding a bus or showing their fare on the train.
“We are unable to estimate the number of passengers (for vaccinations),” said Arky. “Hopefully it has worked and encouraged some to get vaccinated.”
UTA was involved in public safety during the pandemic. It was only recently that the agency started to allow a bus at the main entrance.
UTA is still subject to the requirements of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, including an order that all riding clients wear face masks.
In terms of passenger numbers, Arky noted that UTA is seeing a gradual return and increase in passenger numbers. In May there were 70,887 drivers. Last year there were around 48,000 passengers. In February 2019, the number of passengers was 150,000.
Arky believes UTA will see a surge in passenger numbers again this fall as students return to Utah Valley University and Brigham Young University.
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