Service Redesign Proposed by Utah Transit Authority

The Utah Transit Authority is proposing a new approach to transit service design for the counties on the Wasatch Front, focusing changes on a "core route network" of frequent service.

2 minute read

November 20, 2020, 7:00 AM PST

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


Salt Lake City, Utah

Ritu Manoj Jethani / Shutterstock

The Utah Transit Authority (UTA) has revealed a new vision for bus and rail service for the next five years, focusing on a "core route network" of frequent service for the communities of the Wasatch Front.

Lee Davidson reports details and political background of the major service changes proposed by the UTA earlier this month, presented by UTA planners in context of the pandemic and a budgetary commitment to maintain service at 91 percent of pre-pandemic service levels.

UTA Planning Director Laura Hanson is quoted in the article discussing the need to stabilize the region's transit system. According to Hanson, the system's planners are being very cautious: "The worst thing possible would be to put service on the ground and then realize that we didn’t have the ability to keep it going."

The new five-year service design follows two years of public participation in the "Service Choices" outreach process.

According to Davidson, the key change is the plan's organizing principle around the network of high-frequency, core routes. Hanson is quoted in the article to explain:

“These are a series of routes that are frequent enough that you really don’t need a schedule,” Hanson said. “You know that if you’re on a core route, the bus or train will come within 15 minutes. It will run early in the morning, late at night, and seven days a week.”

A county-by-county list of proposed changes is included in the source article.

For more background on UTA's service design efforts, see an article published earlier in the month by Jasen Lee.

Thursday, November 12, 2020 in The Salt Lake Tribune

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Cover CM Credits, Earn Certificates, Push Your Career Forward

Aerial view of town of Wailuku in Maui, Hawaii with mountains in background against cloudy sunset sky.

Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly

Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.

July 1, 2025 - Honolulu Civil Beat

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

July 9, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Map of Haussmann's redesign of Paris in the 1850s through 1870s under Napoleon III.

In Urban Planning, AI Prompting Could be the New Design Thinking

Creativity has long been key to great urban design. What if we see AI as our new creative partner?

June 30, 2025 - Tom Sanchez

Wood-framed multi-family building under construction with red crane behind it.

California Creates Housing-Focused Agency

Previously, the state’s housing and homelessness programs fell under a grabbag department that also regulates the alcohol industry, car mechanics, and horse racing.

July 13 - CALmatters

Green vintage Chicago streetcar from the 1940s parked at the Illinois Railroad Museum in 1988.

Chicago’s Ghost Rails

Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.

July 13 - WTTV

Red and black pavilion with visitor information in public park in Knoxville, Tennessee.

Baker Creek Pavilion: Blending Nature and Architecture in Knoxville

Knoxville’s urban wilderness planning initiative unveils the "Baker Creek Pavilion" to increase the city's access to green spaces.

July 13 - Dezeen