The Utah Transit Authority will implement “surge” bus service for skiers in the Cottonwood Canyons this winter, according to a news release from the agency.
The announcement comes a month after the agency confirmed it will continue reduced ski bus service for the second straight year. But under the “surge” service, officials now plan to offer increased capacity on ski buses, as well as “backup buses,” during peak times, according to the release.
Buses will remain less frequent — with some routes going from 15-minute service to 30-minute service — but officials said in the release that they have since developed “greater efficiency” with getting UTA buses in and out of ski resort parking lots.
Ski service will begin on Nov. 26 this year and continue through April 13. Alta Ski Area and Solitude Mountain Resort’s opening day is planned for Nov. 17, but the other two Cottonwood Canyon resorts — Brighton and Snowbird — have not yet announced their openings. All four resorts will offer parking reservations this year as well, according to the release.
In terms of staff shortages, UTA says it is making progress — as of Aug. 24, the agency had 101 open operator positions out of 864 total openings, and had net increases in its operators over the past six months. But the authority was also losing operators in the previous six months.
UTA hopes to bring more frequent ski bus service back in the 2024-25 season, but before then, the authority would have to increase frequency for routes 39, 218 and 201 for Salt Lake Valley commuters. The agency plans to boost operator recruitment efforts for fixed-route service and ski bus service through its partnership with Bayard Advertising, which has been in place since this summer.
Additional enhancements
Ski bus route 953 — which ran from Midvale Fort Union station to Snowbird and Alta — will be discontinued for the second year, but UTA has partnered with Salt Lake County and Visit Salt Lake on a shuttle service for hotel guests near the Cottonwood canyons, since that’s where the loss of this route has been felt the most, UTA Executive Director Jay Fox said in September.
This service, called Cottonwood Connect, was deployed mid-season last year. The shuttle provided passengers $10 round-trip rides to either Alta and Snowbird in Little Cottonwood Canyon, or Brighton and Solitude in Big Cottonwood Canyon, through an online reservation system.
The agency is also offering vanpool service for resort employees, creating additional space on ski buses for skiers and other riders, according to the release. Ski bus service will continue to run on UTA’s 40-foot Gillig buses, which have 20% more space than buses used before last year’s ski season, UTA has said.
This year’s ski bus routes will include the following:
Weber County:
Route 674 from Ogden to Powder Mountain. Last year, service on this route was restructured to run more midday and fewer peak-time trips.
• Route 675 from Ogden to Snowbasin. Last year, service on this route was restructured to run more midday and fewer peak-time trips.
Davis County:
• Route 677 from Layton to Snowbasin. Last year, service on this route was restructured to run more midday and fewer peak-time trips.
Salt Lake County:
• Route 972 from Midvale Fort Union Station to Solitude/Brighton. Service is reduced from 15-minute service to 30-minute service for the second straight season.
• Route 994 from Sandy to Snowbird/Alta. Service is reduced from 15-minute service to 30-minute service for the second straight season.
• Route 902, from 3900 South and Wasatch Boulevard to the Kimball Junction Transit Center in Park City, was discontinued on Aug. 20. However, High Valley Transit will now provide free service from Salt Lake City to Kimball Junction on Route 107. More information can be found on High Valley Transit’s website.
• Route 953, from Midvale Fort Union Station to Snowbird/Alta, is suspended for the second straight season.
Utah County:
• Route 880 from Orem to Sundance. This route was added last year and offered service Monday through Saturday.
For more information on UTA ski bus service, visit UTA’s website.
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