Weber and Davis commuters to Salt Lake City railed against Utah Transit Authority plans unveiled in January to eliminate three express routes this spring. UTA suggested those riders board FrontRunner trains, which make similar journeys.
After receiving 600 comments on those and other proposed cuts, UTA announced Friday it would keep one express Route 472, but proceed with plans to cut routes 474 and 476 starting April 5.
Express routes 474 and 476 offered 11 trips total that were an abridged form of 472, which originally traveled from Ogden to Salt Lake City, making nine stops along the way.
Layton resident Ann Larson, who opposed the cuts, was happy to hear at least one express bus route would stay.
"It actually made me really excited that they listened to us and worked with the public," said Larson, who commutes during the week to the LDS Church Office Building in Salt Lake City.
She said taking commuter rail would have resulted in a longer trip than riding the bus. UTA has made changes to FrontRunner service to shorten travel times and also wants to expand its Layton parking lot.
Come April 5, the modified 472 will only provide four other stops between its Riverdale-Salt Lake City journey; many of those spots are in areas where FrontRunner access isn't easily available. The new express bus only has 14 trips total, and the last bus leaves Salt Lake City at 5:10 p.m., unlike the old 472 with a final run at 6:20 p.m.
"Our revised proposal represents a good compromise that balances the need to reduce our operating budget while maintaining as much service as possible," said UTA general manager John Inglish in a statement.
The April service cuts, which include trims to several bus routes in Salt Lake County, are in response to lower-than-projected sales tax revenue, and planned reductions will also affect TRAX ridership.
UTA had announced plans to cut several trips in its Sandy-to-University of Utah route in April. Riders will instead have to transfer at the Gallivan Center stop to make those connections starting May 3, after the end of the semester.
