UTA On Demand connects Westside to rest of Salt Lake City

SALT LAKE CITY — Salt Lake City and the Utah Transit Authority launched a new UTA On Demand service Monday for Westside neighborhoods. Community leaders believe the service should open up a new era of connectivity on the west side of Salt Lake City.

Better connectivity with transit opens a new era of opportunity because better transit creates better opportunities for employment, education and recreation.

“It’s really a quality-of-life enhancement, in addition to a practical connection,” said Victoria Petro-Eschler, a new Salt Lake City Councilmember who represents Westside neighborhoods in District 1.

The new UTA On Demand vans offer a major improvement for getting around Westside neighborhoods, where people have run into gaps in the public transit system.

“We feel disconnected over here,” Petro-Eschler said. “It’s very easy to not feel like there is transportation. I totaled my car on the Tuesday before the election, and trying to find rides and get around was terribly difficult without a private car.”

This morning @RideUTA and @SLCgov introduced a new On Demand ride service on the Westside of Salt Lake City…

The story from @jedboal #KSLTV pic.twitter.com/9TwbZR4wuf

— Derek Petersen (@Derek_Photog) December 13, 2021

The new service is sponsored through Salt Lake City‘s Funding Our Future initiative.

The service area includes Rose Park, Fairpark, Poplar Grove and Glendale neighborhoods, and it operates seven days a week.

UTA On Demand offers corner-to-corner service and door-to-door service for passengers who need a wheelchair-accessible vehicle.

“If you’re within the service area, we’ll come within a short distance of your home or house. The system may require you to make a short walk to meet the vehicle,” said Jaron Robertson, UTA director of innovative mobility solutions.

The service area does not include the Salt Lake City International Airport.

Trips must begin and end within the designated service area.

“This is public transit at its best,” Robertson said. “So, we’re sharing a ride with other people.”

 

 

You can take the same ride every day, but you need to make a new trip request each time you ride. You cannot pre-register for a trip.

“Symbolically, it’s wonderful to see an investment like this that lets Westside residents know that they’re important, that they’re valued, and that we want them to have access to all of the good things that Salt Lake City promises,” the council member said.

Download the “UTA On Demand” app from the App Store to set up an account.

A one-way trip costs $2.50. Seniors 65 and older and persons with disabilities get half off.

The first 10 trips are free when you set up your account.