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Utah Valley Express set to begin Provo-Orem service August 13

Posted at 7:22 PM, May 30, 2018
and last updated 2018-07-30 16:43:24-04

OREM, Utah – Utah Transit Authority is putting the finishing touches on an express bus route connecting Orem with Provo.

The Utah Valley Express (UVX) is set to debut to passengers on August 13th.

“No doubt, it will alleviate stress in the Provo/Orem area,” said Mary DeLaMare-Schaefer, UTA’s Regional General Manager for Utah County.

The route has been in the planning stages for more than a decade, and construction has taken place over the last 18 months. The new service is in response to Utah County’s rapidly growing population.

“We’ll be over a million people, and this is our first step out into a major transit project that goes into the cities within the community,” DeLaMare-Schaefer said.

Stops on the Utah Valley University and BYU campuses are designed to attract students and faculty to the public transportation service and leave their cars at home.

“We have over 100,000 student population, including faculty and staff, who need a way to get across town,” DeLaMare-Schaefer said.

This project cost $190 million.

Lawmakers are paying close attention to see if that investment offers a strong return to the community.

“I want to make sure that this is a good investment,” said Rep. Kay Christofferson, R-Lehi. “I think this is going to be a good test.”

If this service is a hit with riders, more projects like this could be planned in the future.

“We are working with the communities and the county right now to plan 50 years out of what needs to happen both on freeways and local roads as well as transit and how to integrate those,” DeLaMare-Schaefer said. “None of us moved here for transit, but we are all going to need it in the future.”

To learn more about the Provo-Orem Transportation Improvement Project, click here.