Millcreek residents who ride Utah Transit Authority buses and trains can travel free through Sunday, Sept. 20.

UTA announced on its website that it is suspending all fare collection during a scheduled upgrade to its fare system. The zero-fare window opened at the start of service Friday, Sept. 18, and runs through the end of service Sunday. No ticket or tap is needed.

The suspension covers every UTA service, including bus routes, TRAX light rail, FrontRunner commuter rail and ski bus lines. UTA has not publicly detailed which fare technology is being replaced.

Base fare could rise to $3

The zero-fare weekend coincides with UTA's first proposed fare increase since 2013. The agency has proposed raising the base fare from $2.50 to $3 and boosting express and ski bus fares to $6.

That $3 base fare would tie UTA with Seattle and San Francisco for the highest among 163 transit agencies surveyed in 2025 by the American Public Transportation Association. The Cooldown reported the comparison Sept. 13, citing a Salt Lake Tribune analysis.

A daily rider could pay about $20 more per month under the proposal.

UTA Senior Public Information Officer Gavin Gustafson told the Salt Lake Tribune that the proposed increase reflects the rising cost of providing and maintaining transit service. "The cost of operating, maintaining and expanding transit … and everything else in life, it seems … has certainly gone up," Gustafson said in the Sept. 13 report.

The higher fares could take effect as early as spring 2027 if the proposal is approved, according to Gustafson. UTA's public comment period on the fare proposal closed Sept. 9, and no date for a formal vote has been announced.