Increased bus service, new customer wayfinding signage, enhanced security measures and the opening of the Provo Orem TRIP bus rapid transit (BRT) line are among improvements coming to UTA riders in 2018. Today, UTA President/CEO Jerry Benson unveiled the proposed 2018 Tentative Budget to the board’s Finance & Operations Committee, marking the beginning of this year’s budget adoption process. After approval by the full board, scheduled for October 25, the 2018 Tentative Budget will go through a two month review and approval process that includes gathering feedback from government officials, community stakeholders and the public before the final budget is approved in mid-December.
The 2018 Tentative Budget public feedback period starts Nov. 1 and will continue through Nov. 30. Individuals and organizations can comment online, by mail or phone, or in person at a public hearing at 1 p.m. on Nov. 15 at UTA headquarters, 669 West 200 South, Salt Lake City.
Benson called the budget “a future vision” to help meet the public’s demand for increased UTA service.
“We’re looking ahead to see how we can create more and better transit services using the resources that we have,” he said.
Improvements are aligned with UTA’s True Norths, a guiding set of priorities for the agency, as well as strategic objectives identified by the Board of Trustees. They include service, people, environment, community and stewardship, all designed to enhance UTA’s performance and the customer experience.
Customer Experience: UTA will increase wayfinding signage to better help riders navigate the system, and the agency will add security cameras on TRAX to help improve system safety.
Service: The new Provo Orem TRIP BRT line will open in Utah County in August, seven months ahead of schedule. The line will provide residents with frequent bus service along a 10.5-mile route that runs between Provo Central Station and Orem Central Station, serving Brigham Young University, Utah Valley University and other major destinations along the way.
Prop 1 funds will be used to increase bus service in Weber and Davis counties by 6 percent.
People: UTA is creating an internship and scholarship program to encourage students interested in mechanic and technical jobs to pursue jobs in public transportation maintenance.
“Our employees are excited about this new ‘Maintenance Mentors’ program,” Benson said. “This is a way to create a pipeline for people to come into to really productive careers in transit.”
Environment: UTA will purchase its first all-electric buses in 2018. A variety of other low-emissions vehicles, such as buses and vans, will also be purchased.
Community: UTA is working with local communities to improve service to Park City, begin ski service earlier in the year and relocate the Airport TRAX Station at the new Salt Lake City International Airport terminal complex.
Stewardship: UTA is investing in significant repair projects to keep the 15-year-old rail system in top operating conditions. The agency is also purchasing 135 vans, buses and other types of new vehicles to keep UTA’s fleet in good repair and ready to meet the demands of increased service.
Benson also announced that UTA is creating a new innovative mobility solutions office to develop pilot projects based on promising ideas in mobility and technology. He cited UTA’s recent partnerships with community groups to offer programs like Utah Valley Rides, a van service for senior citizens and people with disabilities. Benson also noted that trends such as electric, autonomous, connected vehicles and big data are shaping the future of transportation.
“We’re in the middle of a transportation revolution, and we need to be thinking of how we can take advantage of technology,” he said. “When we can combine new technologies with UTA’s ability to understand customer needs and to partner with community stakeholders, we can make sure the revolution is one that really improves people’s quality of life.”
Expenses and Revenues
A strong economy has resulted in more sales tax revenue for UTA. Unlike many public transit agencies that have seen a decrease in passenger revenue due to low gas prices and increased vehicle sales, UTA’s passenger revenue has remained steady. Ridership on UTA has remained stable and increased in some areas.
“We’re bucking a national trend where transit ridership is down significantly in many cities,” Benson said.
UTA expenses include bus service additions and early debt retirement contributions to pay down existing bonds. New bonding, planned since 2010, will be used solely for capital expenses on projects like Provo Orem TRIP, the Airport TRAX Station relocation and major system repair projects.
UTA projects like Provo Orem TRIP have also been impacted by the inflation brought on by Utah’s strong economy, something seen on public and private construction projects region-wide.
“We recognize that property and construction costs have increased in our community,” said Orem City Manager Jamie Davidson. “We’ve seen the same issues in Orem City.”
UTA’s 2018 budget includes a 6.8 percent increase in expenses for the BRT project. Despite increased costs, UTA is still on pace to complete the BRT project by late summer of 2018 so that it is in place for the new school year.
“I really appreciate UTA taking the hard steps to honor their commitment to the project partners in making this project a very positive enhancement for the community,” said Provo City Mayor John Curtis.
Benson said that UTA will continue to look at ways to reduce costs across the agency through efforts like conducting FrontRunner locomotive maintenance in-house, which will save the agency $100,000 in 2018 and $500,000 a year in 2019 and beyond.
“We’ve made it a priority to reduce costs where we can,” he said. “That frees up resources for us to provide better service to the public.”
See the presentation to the board here.