University Marketing & Communications: Scott Trotter | 801-863-6807 | scott.trotter@uvu.edu

PROVO, UT – UVU President Matthew S. Holland announced today that beginning August 2018 and continuing for the next 10 years, all UVU full-and part-time employees as well as their spouses and dependents, and students will receive free UTA transit passes annually. The new pass plan is designed to alleviate traffic congestion, parking issues and to help promote clean air in Utah County.

“The UTA free-pass program is an investment in our future, and the future of our students,” said President Holland. “Research clearly shows the majority of our students stay in Utah after graduation. This is a step toward preserving and protecting this beautiful valley for them and others who come behind us.”

This announcement came jointly with Brigham Young University, which will also be providing transit passes for its students and employees, and is timely because UTA’s new bus rapid transit line (BRT), currently under construction, is scheduled to be operational in August 2018. The line will connect the two universities with the UTA transit system.

UTA’s contract with UVU, anticipated to be finalized in the coming months, stipulates any UVU employees, their spouses and dependents and students with a UVU ID, will receive passes for UTA’s regular and premium services, including FrontRunner, TRAX, streetcar, and most bus routes. It will make approximately 50,000 passes available to UVU for $1 million.

Holland said the contract will be covered by reallocating a combination of existing revenue, including the existing UTA student fee fund, employee benefits funding, and parking pass revenue. UVU will increase the cost of an annual parking pass from $90 to $115 to help cover the cost; however, current student fees will not increase.

“UVU has more than 37,000 students, and that number is projected to increase to 46,000 by 2025,” said Holland. “We want our students to focus on their academic careers and not on transportation and parking.”

—–

FAQ

Question: What is the new UTA premium-access pass program for UVU?

Answer:   All full- and part-time employees, and their dependents, and students at UVU will receive free premium-access UTA passes each year. The passes will be invalid if students leave or graduate or employees leave university employment.

Question: What is the purpose of the program?

Answer:   The main purpose of the program is to give students, employees and their families transporation choices in areas where parking is limited and commute times can be frustrating. The program was also designed to reduce traffic congestion, help keep the air clean, and to protect the quality of life and economic viability in Utah County.

Question: Why is it scheduled to begin in August 2018?

Answer:   UTA’s soon-to-be-completed bus rapid transit (BRT) system in Provo and Orem will become operational in August 2018.

Question: What is the Orem/Provo BRT?

Answer:   BRT stands for bus rapid transit. UTA describes it as TRAX on rubber wheels, basically extra-long buses on wheels. It will connect Provo and Orem in a 10.5-mile continuous bus loop starting at the Orem Central Station west of Utah Valley University running to the East Bay Technology Park in South Provo.

Question: How many stops will it have?

Answer:   It will have 18 stops including UVU, BYU, the Orem and Provo malls, and Orem and Provo FrontRunner stations. There are 3,889 UVU students who live within ½ mile of a UTA (BRT) stop.

Question: How often will the buses come by each stop?

Answer:   Buses will run approximately every six minutes at peak travel times.

Question: Who is eligible for a free UTA premium pass under this program?

Answer:   All current UVU employees – as well as their spouses and dependents – and students will receive free UTA passes.

Question: How does a student or employee sign up for a pass?

Answer:   Members of the UVU community will receive instructions in the months to come.

Question: How much is UVU required to pay UTA for the premium pass program?

Answer:   UTA’s contract with UVU, anticipated to be signed in the coming months, will make approximately 50,000 passes available to UVU for $1 million annually.

Question: How will UVU pay for the passes?

Answer:   The contract will be covered by reallocating a combination of existing revenue, including the existing UTA student fee fund, employee benefits funding, and parking pass revenue. UVU will increase the cost of an annual parking pass from $90 to $115 to help cover the cost; however, current student fees will not increase.

Question: Will the passes be valid on all UTA routes or only on the Utah County BRT?

Answer:   They will be premium-access passes and will be valid on all UTA transit routes, including FrontRunner, TRAX, streetcar, and bus routes. They will not be valid on the Ski Bus routes in Big and Little Cottonwood Canyons. Sundance Mountain Resort is considering participating in the program. An announcement is pending.

Question: Will the buses have Wifi?

Answer:   No.

Question: Are there plans to expand the Utah County BRT?

Answer:   Not at this time.

 

Utah Valley University ribbon cutting at the Thanksgiving Point Campus in Lehi, Utah Wednesday March 2, 2017. (Jay Drowns/UVU Marketing)