UTA proposes an increase to a $3 base fare. But first, it wants to hear from Utahns

After 13 years of paying $2.50 to ride a local Utah Transit Authority bus or train, commuters may see a fare increase to $3 next year. But first, UTA officials say they want to  hear their feedback.

“This would help offset the increased costs that have happened over 13 years,” said Gavin Gustafson, senior public information officer at UTA. “I can’t think of anything that hasn’t gone up over the past 13 years, and so it helps to offset the cost of, say, operating maintenance and expanding the transit service as well.”

The fare increase is something the authority has held off for as long as possible, Gustafson said. However, the costs to keep the service running has gone substantially up in the last decade.

Fare revenue represents about 4% of UTA’s $1 billion 2026 budget. Most of its funding comes from sales taxes.

“It’s not terribly significant,” Gustafson said. “It does help with the day-to-day cost, but we’ve built out quite an expansive system over the past 10 to 15 years, and so there’s a significant amount of debt, of course, that comes with that.”

In addition to the fare increase, UTA is proposing other service changes for 2027, including an expansion to the S-Line that connects to Sugar House and a tool to make contactless payments easier for occasional riders. These proposals aren’t final yet, and Utahns are invited to voice their opinion during a public comment period from Aug. 10 through Sept. 9.

The authority is also constructing a new station at Highland Drive and Simpson Avenue, as well as another one in the Sugar House business district, near the University of Utah health center. 

While a contactless form of payment is already available with FAREPAY cards, UTA is also studying allowing a tap-to-pay system for regular credit and debit cards.

The authority hasn’t set a specific date in which these changes may take place. However, they are penciled in for next year, Gustafson said.

“We encourage everyone to review the proposed changes and share their feedback through the proper channels,” he said. “As valuable as it is to receive feedback online and through Facebook comments, for example, it doesn’t go into the official public record. Those kinds of things are not necessarily tracked and categorized and logged.”

UTA will host a virtual public meeting on Aug. 26 at 5:30 p.m. to present an overview of the proposed updates and to answer some questions. Registration is available at this link. 

Comments may also be submitted online through UTA’s public comment website, by email at [email protected], by phone at 801-287-3888, or by mail to the Utah Authority.

Public comments must be received, postmarked or submitted electronically by 5 p.m. on Sept. 9 to be included in the official public comment record.