Wasatch Front residents will be able ditch their pollution-spewing cars this week and hop on public transit for free, thanks to a program aimed at clearing the air.
The Utah Transit Authority announced this week it would offer free fares Thursday and Friday on all of its bus and rail services — including the FrontRunner commuter train, Park City-Salt Lake City connector bus, paratransit service and UTA On Demand.
GREENbike, the area’s nonprofit bike-share program, will also provide no-cost service starting Thursday and running through the weekend. Riders must enter the code 8121 at any bike station to gain free access to a bike for 30 minutes at a time. The code is good for a 24-hour period.
“The free-fare days we’ve had during this program have been very successful,” UTA board Chair Carlton Christensen said in a news release. “We look forward to building on this success, further increasing awareness among the public about how they can help improve our air quality by riding public transit.”
The first free-fare days, held last August, led to a 5% bump in bus ridership and 12% jump in FrontRunner passengers. New riders made up nearly 20% of trips taken.
State lawmakers approved funding for “Free Fare for Clean Air” days in 2019.
Kim Shelley, executive director of the Utah Department of Environmental Quality, said in a news release that vehicles are the largest contributor to the region’s gunky air.
“We’ve seen that when we remove barriers to using public transit,” she said, “people will make the choice that reduces pollution and improves quality of life all around.”
The free-fare days are coordinated between the UTA and the state’s Division of Air Quality, which monitors Utah’s air for unhealthy levels of ozone and particulate matter.
According to the division’s website, Salt Lake County’s air quality for Wednesday and Thursday was forecast as being unhealthy for sensitive groups as temperatures and ozone levels climb. A forecast for Friday was not listed.
Clarification • Aug. 31, 4:20 p.m.: This story has been updated to clarify how the free GREENbike rental will operate.