SALT LAKE CITY — Is there a ghost bus in The Avenues?
Some residents of the Salt Lake City neighborhood have dubbed one Utah Transit Authority bus just that.
“Empty buses, it's eerie,” said Rone Tempest, a fifth generation Avenues resident. “It's really eerie to just see these buses. There's nobody on the bus.”
Tempest and others have raised concerns over bus route 209, which runs between downtown and the Fashion Place mall in Murray. The route also includes a roughly 2-mile section in The Avenues.
The buses currently run before dawn at 4 a.m. through 1 a.m.
“When these city streets were laid out by my ancestors in the mid-19th century, they didn't anticipate cars or buses or anything,” Tempest said.
Some residents say the bus brings noise, pollution and road damage. Tempest also cited the weight of each bus, which he claims is a contributing factor to much of the road damage residents have seen in the area.
“So there's noise, there's vibration, there's this sort of urbanization of what was historically, and is classified as, a residential street,” he added. “These things are all sort of unintended consequences”
According to the Utah legislature, the state sets commercial vehicle axle weight limits at 20,000 pounds to protect roadways from excessive damage. Even when empty, the buses used on the route exceed the commercial limit by 7,000 to 10,000 pounds. The legislature has seen fit to exempt transit from weight-bearing limits meant to protect public streets.
How did this route come to be?
The route was extended into the steep hills east of downtown after UTA canceled two routes in 2022.
“That eliminated a connection with the university, where a lot of people work,” Tempest explained. “And the other thing they did is they made this a very high frequency route,”
The bus comes every 15 minutes heading south and roughly eight minutes going north. But while the bus comes often, residents say there aren't enough passengers to justify the size of the vehicle, and what they say is the struggle it endures to get up the steep roads.
“It's mostly empty, so it's a full-size city bus, and there are rarely more than two people in the bus,” said Linda Hart, an 11-year resident of The Avenues. “So it feels to me like the wrong solution to the transportation problem. It's the wrong equipment on a very small residential street.”
According to UTA, the four stops from Third Avenue to Ninth Avenue along L Street and into I Street saw an average number of 5-and-a-half riders per day in July, although UTA says the numbers vary throughout the year.
How does UTA develop and maintain a route?
“We evaluate every stop based on average daily boardings,” said Gavin Gustafson, senior public information officer for UTA. “And if there's truly nobody there, that goes back to the supply and demand. If there's no demand, then the supply will change.
“As of right now, there's still demand for the service at these individual stops.”
The route was developed as part of Salt Lake City's transit master plan, along with city and county officials.
“So it's taken as a whole,” Gustafson explained. “Sure, there's always going to be parts of any route that are going to have a little bit lower and a little bit higher, but overall, that route is in the top 10 in popularity over the past two years in the entire UTA system.”
FOX 13 News rode the bus four times and it was common to see empty buses in The Avenues, but in areas like Sugar House or Fashion Place, that’s when ridership allegedly picks up.
Residents suggest solutions
“Our oldest son is on the autism spectrum, and he has supersonic hearing,” Hart shared. “So for him, the quality of life has changed a bit also, because it's hard for him to sleep, and he gets woken up very early. He has a legitimate disability, and this is very intrusive for his lifestyle.”
Residents like Hart have continually voiced their concerns, with several testifying in front of the UTA board asking for alternatives such as electric buses or passenger vans.
“One solution is a very small van, minivan, a small bus, or passenger van to go up the road and take the people where they need to go. It's still public transport. It still helps people.”
When FOX 13 News brought up that particular solution with UTA, Gustafson said breaking up a route could make it harder for passengers who rely on it.
UTA says they are always evaluating every route and weighing it against the needs of the community. As for residents, they continue to hold out hope for a solution that works for everyone.
“There's almost nothing sadder than an empty bus,” Tempest lamented. "There are times where [riding a bus] can be a thrilling, terrific part of city life, and there are other times when it's miscast as it is here.”
