Fare Thee Well 

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• Benjamin Wood
• Passengers wait to board an incoming TRAX train at the North Temple Bridge/Guadalupe station on February 9, 2022.

The number of Utahns using buses, trains and on-demand transit surged in February—more than doubling compared to January in some cases—after fares were suspended systemwide during a monthlong pilot program by the Utah Transit Authority.

According to a final report on “Free Fare February” released Wednesday by UTA, weekday ridership increased 16% overall, including 35.7% more travelers on FrontRunner and 23% more users of UTA On Demand, a relatively new service exclusive to the west side that is comparable to ride-sharing apps like Uber.

The transit spike was even more pronounced on weekends, with Saturdays seeing an overall ridership increase of 58% and boosted by huge jumps in the use of commuter rail—74.5% on TRAX and more than 200% on Frontrunner trains, which do not run on Sundays despite a demonstrated (now more than ever) demand. On-demand service use jumped by 144% on Sundays during February, according to the report.

“Free Fare February was a success,” declared UTA board chairman Carlton Christensen in a prepared statement. Transit is part of maintaining a health and vibrant quality of life in Utah, Christensen said, and UTA is proud to partner with state and city leaders to help mitigate air pollution.

“We encourage everyone to ride UTA instead of driving,” he said. “You can help counter the negative effects of harmful pollution and reduce congestion on our roads and highways.”

In addition to collecting ridership data, the final report released Wednesday included results from a survey of more than 5,000 transit patrons that UTA conducted during Free Fare February. Those results suggested that roughly one-in-five Utahns who used transit during the pilot were first-time riders and that more than 95% were aware of the free fare program.

Nearly 90% of February riders said they would be “very” or “somewhat” likely to ride transit more often if services were free.

Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall said the success of Free Fare February proves that residents are more likely to use transit options when barriers like cost are removed.

“I can’t wait to work with our partners to find more opportunities to expand free transit,” she said. “UTA and all of our partners have been tremendous for buying into this idea and making an air quality advocate’s dream come true.”

Mendenhall is credited by UTA with suggesting the free-fare initiative, which was seen as a way to both reduce vehicle emissions during a month of traditionally poor air quality as well as to commemorate the 20-year anniversary of the 2002 Olympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City. The state’s preparation for hosting those games was a primary catalyst for the buildout of Utah’s commuter rail services.

Transit fares are significantly subsidized by taxpayer dollars—as is personal vehicle travel—with the bulk of UTA’s budget coming from state and other funding sources. The final report said the transit authority estimates annual revenue from fares at roughly $34 million, or $2.8 million per month.

To offset those funds during Free Fare February, the report states, UTA secured more than $1.1 million from government partners—Salt Lake City and County, Wasatch Front Regional Council, the Utah Division of Air Quality and the Mountainland Association of Governments—and another $1.4 million from the schools, businesses and other private entities that subsidize transit passes, known as the “Pass Program.” Out of the roughly 100 contract partners that participate in the Pass Program, the UTA report states, 87% agreed to continue paying their monthly subsidy during Free Fare February despite services being free to their students/employees/users.

“Free Fare February was truly a collaborative endeavor,” the report states. “To successfully implement one month of free transit, UTA worked with partner agencies across the region to fund the initiative.”

The increase in ridership also coincided with a decrease in transit-related crime, with service calls to UTA Police falling from 1,304 in January to 933 during Free Fare February. While the report does not speculate on the correlation, research has long suggested that the mainstreaming of buses, parks and other public spaces is a strong deterrent to aberrant behavior.

The report also estimates that 68 tons of air pollution was saved by transit riders in February, up 12 tons—or 21.4%—compared to January.

“Cost effectiveness was the most common theme mentioned and the cost barriers people face relative to transportation should not be underestimated,” the UTA report states. “Affordable access to transit can equate to improved freedom of mobility and greater quality of life, providing the ability to increase travel for work, school, social and community connection, healthcare and entertainment.”

To read the report in its entirety, visit www.rideuta.com/freefare.