Options grow for commuters

When the new Utah Transit Authority express bus route 808 began last fall, not only did students start taking the route, but faculty and staff members started to participate as well.

Louise Bridge, director of the UVSC Bookstore, started riding UTA in August of 2007. She has been working at UVSC for 11 years, but didn’t start riding the bus until last August, because that’s when the express route 808 to Payson was made available.

Bridge provided her reasons for riding the bus, explaining the appeal of a $5 annual pass, the environmental benefits, and the convenience of not needing to find parking spaces.
Many have reasons similar to those of Bridge, and with the new routes to the south of the valley, more commuters have been able to save money and help the environment.

There was a problem for UVSC commuters who were unable to return to their vehicles that were parked at the Spanish Fork Church Park and Ride lot. This was because there was no mid-day option for the bus to stop there.

With the request of many of the riders, the 820 Southbound just began a new flex routing system to accommodate 808 southbound passengers. With this new option, passengers have more commuting options when returning from UVSC.

The Spanish Fork Church Park and Ride lot is located at 1000 N. 600 E. Southbound route 820 trips will only service this location upon request. Passengers need to notify the operator in advance of their need to get off at this stop. The 820 will then return to the regular route without missing any of its stops.

UTA hopes this change will accommodate UVSC commuters’ needs and increase the volume of passengers transported on route 808.

UTA constantly reviews its routes to best serve its riders.

"There’s changes to routes 3 times per year. Usually these are small changes in timing to help the on-time performance," said Carrie Bohnsack-Ware, UTA Senior Media Relations Specialist. "In April, a significant number of routes will change slightly, due to the TRAX schedules changing in Salt Lake."

Information on UTA routes and schedule routes can be found at http://www.rideuta.com