From Draper to Payson, and Saratoga Springs to Provo, UVU students are contributing to the growth of Utah County’s public transportation.
An example of this is the recent success of the Utah Valley Express (UVX) buses, which are now finishing up their first year of operation.
In the beginning usage of the new transportation line, 10,000 people boarded daily. After a year of operation, the UVX now transports nearly 14,000 people each day.
A large contributor to that statistic has been UVU.
“We have tremendous support from UVU administration,” said Mary DeLamare-Schaefer, UTA’s regional general manager of the Timpanogos division.
DeLamare-Schaefer also spoke about the 1 million dollar deal between UVU and UTA in 2014 that granted free transportation to all students.
That deal has resulted in UVU students accounting for 48 percent of the UVX’s regular riders and over 2 million total boardings last year on UTA’s transportation lines. Additionally, UVU students are the highest collective ridership on the FrontRunner system.
According to DeLamare-Schaefer, the benefits of UVU’s extensive ridership on the UTA have been a decrease of cars on the road, more available parking, a decrease in student expenses on transport and a cleaner environment. Additional benefits are expected as more students take advantage of public transportation.
“It is exceeding our expectations,” said DeLamare-Schaefer said. “We are glad to see that this is helping the students.”
For those interested in finding UTA commuting routes, visit UTA’s website at http://www.rideuta.com/rider-tools/trip-planner
