SALT LAKE CITY — Downtown Salt Lake City can be a hub for work and play. Sometimes, it can be the best spot to see one of Utah’s most unfavorable sights: inversion.
Emma Cox uses public transportation to get around town and believes the bus or TRAX can be beneficial for many reasons.
“I do have a car but I do my best to use public transport anytime I can,” Cox said. “It’s easier, more convenient, and you don’t have to worry about parking. And it’s better for the environment.”
Living in Utah her whole life, Cox said the inversion is something she wishes she didn’t have to take into account every day.
“Living in a place where I have to look at the air quality and that changes my plans for the day, it’s not ideal” she added. “I think every little step can really help.”
The Utah Transit Authority is hoping to take some of those steps in the upcoming months.
“We all breathe the same air and we want to improve it as much as we can,” said UTA Public Information officer Gavin Gustafson.
While one of the agency's goals is to help improve air quality, they’re also aiming to improve accessibility.
“Immediately coming in April, we have several new bus routes in northern counties, like Weber and Davis counties,” Gustafson explained. “We have new bus routes and services in Salt Lake County and then down in Utah County.”
It's all just the start of UTA’s five-year plan where they hope to add over 9 million service miles to their overall system. As ridership increases, they want to grow on the same track.
“We increased our ridership 15.5% just over last year,” Gustafson said, “up to 40 million.”
He said across the board, all of Utah's modes of transportation have increased anywhere from 5-30 percent.
People like Cox said extending hours and making more frequent stops could be helpful. Gustafson said they’re listening to the public to improve their system.
