Millcreek bus and TRAX riders would pay 20% more per trip under a Utah Transit Authority (UTA) proposal that would push the agency's fares to the highest in the nation.

UTA is seeking to raise its base fare from $2.50 to $3, effective spring 2027. That would be the first increase since 2013. The change would apply to buses, TRAX, UTA On Demand and FrontRunner services, according to UTA's public comment page. Express bus and ski bus fares would jump from $5 to $6. Reduced fares would rise from $1 to $1.20.

For a rider paying about $100 a month in Salt Lake County, the increase adds up to roughly $20 more each month for the same level of service, the Salt Lake Tribune reported Aug. 27.

Of 163 transit agencies surveyed in 2025 by the American Public Transportation Association (APTA), UTA's proposed $3 fare would tie with Seattle and San Francisco as the highest base fare in the country, according to the Tribune's reporting. Those metro areas each have about four times the Salt Lake Valley's population, UTA public information officer Gavin Gustafson told the paper.

"The base fare has not changed in 13 years. What has changed in the last 13 years? Everything else," Gustafson told KSL on Aug. 6.

Fare revenue accounts for just 4% of UTA's total funding, according to UTA budget documents. The agency says rising operational costs are the primary driver of the increase, though officials also cited the upcoming six-month open house for the renovated Salt Lake Temple and the 2034 Winter Olympics as context for long-term planning.

Christopher Stout, co-founder of the Utah Transit Riders Union, told the Tribune he opposes the plan. Stout argued that riders are paying more for less, noting that 15-minute bus frequencies common before the pandemic have been cut back significantly.

What it means for Millcreek

Millcreek operates a "Ride Millcreek" program through its Economic Wellbeing Committee that provides free 30-day UTA passes to residents facing transportation barriers, according to the city's website. The program partners with Granite School District, Housing Connect, the Asian Association of Utah and English Skills Learning Center. The city has not said whether the increase would affect program costs.

How to comment

The public comment period runs through Sept. 9. Comments must be received by 5 p.m. that day. Residents can submit feedback online at rideuta.com, by email to [email protected], by phone at 801-287-3888, or by mail to Utah Transit Authority, C/O Jolisha Branch, 669 W. 200 S., Salt Lake City, UT 84101.

UTA held a virtual public meeting on the proposal on Aug. 26. A recording is available on UTA's website.

UTA's executive officials plan to make a final decision on the fare increase by year-end, after reviewing public comments, according to Gustafson. The agency's seven-member transit commission will also weigh in on the proposal.