The Utah Transit Authority's FrontRunner ridership was at an all-time high in September, with an average 21,800 boardings per weekday. The previous record was set in September 2017, with 19,155 boardings per weekday.
Ridership by the numbers
Sept. 2017 Total FrontRunner Boardings: 433,137
Sept. 2018 Total FrontRunner Boardings: 464,505
September is typically a high-ridership month for UTA, as students return to school and riders use public transit to access heavily attended events like college football games, the Utah State Fair, FanX and the Salt Lake Greek Festival. This year’s ridership was also impacted by the opening of UVX and a new partnership with Brigham Young University and Utah Valley University.
The UVX bus rapid transit line began service in August, providing riders with fast, convenient service to Provo and Orem FrontRunner stations, BYU and UVU campuses, local businesses, medical centers and more. UVX fare is covered by a Federal Highway Administration Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement grant through 2021, allowing riders to board free-of-charge. Also in August, UTA, BYU and UVU kicked off a program that allows students, employees and their dependents to ride UTA trains and fixed-route buses free with their university ID.
