Gondola opponents question timing of UTA reduced bus service announcement
LITTLE COTTONWOOD CANYON, Utah (KUTV) — An advocacy group is raising questions about why Utah Transit Authority bus service up the canyons is set to be cut this winter, and why that announcement came right during the public comment period for a proposed gondola.
UTA announced this week limited bus service starting December 11 across several counties due to short staffing. The cuts impact two ski service routes up Little Cottonwood Canyon, among others. The transit agency said notice was necessary now so the changes could be made in time.
But Carl Fisher, executive director of Save Our Canyons, feels it’s part of a larger push for a gondola in Little Cottonwood for which public comment is underway right now.
“It just smelled funny to me that we’re in the middle of this process and that one of the options that the public is clearly rallying around is being really erased as an option,” Fisher said.
Fisher said the announcement of reduced bus service will “absolutely have an impact on people making comments to this process.” He believes buses are best to reduce congestion in the canyon – not a gondola.
“We can’t just serve resort customers and patrons,” he said. “It needs to service everybody that’s accessing these places, and I think that’s what’s being missed by the gondola.”
UTA declined a request from KUTV 2News for an on-camera interview. But in a statement, the agency said the emergency bus cuts are critical as the pandemic hampered ridership – and staffing levels. The cuts impact Davis, Salt Lake, Summit, and Weber counties as well as Big Cottonwood Canyon and ski routes in Ogden.
As for the timing of this announcement, UTA said it came down to getting things done in time.
"With Change Day little more than two months away, UTA must make these adjustments at this time to put the changes into effect on December 11,” the agency said.
But Tim Dutter, who moved to Utah a few years ago from Connecticut, also felt UTA’s announcement was strangely timed. He said he wants to see more bus service, not less.
“The buses are really effective,” Dutter said. “If we’re worried about emissions and the amount of traffic that’s coming up the canyon, that’s proven to be mitigated.”
UTA’s full statement in response to this story is below:
The Utah Transit Authority (UTA) is experiencing significant staffing shortages and hiring challenges specifically related to bus operators, As the result, UTA is making several emergency bus service adjustments this December Change Day, impacting Weber, Davis and Salt Lake counties, as well as service to Summit County. These changes will include several local routes, regional routes and ski-service routes. Several of the ski bus routes will take affect in UTA’s Ogden service area. With Change Day little more than two months away, UTA must make these adjustments at this time to put the changes into effect on December 11.
According to Carlton Christensen, Chair of the UTA Board of Trustees, “UTA takes service reductions very seriously and recognizes the impact it will have for riders who rely on us. As we responded to this emergency situation, we worked to minimize the impacts as much as possible, and focused on maintaining service for essential riders, the equity of the impacts among all riders and tried to maintain service and connections all day for the greatest number of people.”
UTA has analyzed ridership data and trends, routes, schedules and other significant operational factors, taking all available information into consideration to identify strategies and steps to deal with this operator shortage in the long-term and determine the most effective modifications which will allow UTA to continue providing safe, reliable transit services. UTA is also taking into consideration the options and alternatives our customers will have if their route is affected.
In response to the pandemic and the resulting reduced ridership and changing riding patterns, UTA reduced its recruiting and hiring practices accordingly as services operated at a minimum during the pandemic. Combined with post-pandemic retirements, work-life changes, and other operational factors, UTA has seen an increase in bus operators leaving the industry. All of these factors have resulted in UTA experiencing an operator shortage coming into the winter months. With the December 11 Change Day little more than two months away, UTA must take decisive and immediate action to address its staffing shortage. UTA has identified strategies and steps to deal with this shortage in the long-term, but those efforts will not address current operator levels going into the winter months.
UTA’s main priority continues to be providing safe, reliable transit services for the greatest number of residents and visitors along the greater Wasatch Front service area.
These service adjustments not impact FrontRunner, TRAX, Paratransit, UTA On Demand, Bus Rapid Transit, or Streetcar services.
