UTA has 5,369 bus stops throughout its service area, with 952 in Salt Lake City alone. Even if you don’t ride regularly, at some point, you will likely find yourself at one of them.
No Phone, No Problem
Our newer bus stops signs are not only visually appealing they are also packed full of helpful information. If you find yourself at a bus stop without a data-connected phone, you can still get to your destination. Here’s how:
Route Numbers - Our gridded street network makes for some pretty straight-forward route numbers. In Salt Lake County the route numbers tell you the direction the bus goes and generally what street it drives on. For example, Route 209, the 2 at the beginning tells you it runs mostly north-south. The 9 tells you it runs north-south along 900 East. In contrast, those without the 2 in front, like Route 9, run east-west and in the case of Route 9, it does so along 900 South.
Colors = Frequency - The color next to the route number tells you its frequency.
- Green - every 15 minutes
- Blue - every 30-60 minutes
- Red - peak hour service or during commuting times of the day
Schedules & Maps - At our busier bus stops, like along Route 2 downtown, you can find schedules and maps at our bus stops — you can do complete analog trip planning right there.
Six-sided Blue Pole - The blue pole indicates an updated UTA bus stop. The blue makes it stand out amongst the congestion of downtown. And the unique six-side feature helps our riders that are visually impaired know they are at the right spot to catch the bus.
Leo, UTA’s Customer Experience Planner, will walk you through these below.
Paving The Way with Partnership
Over the past three years, we have updated 189 bus stops. This has been made possible by our partnership with Salt Lake City government. These updates include Salt Lake City Streets paving the stop, making the stop fully accessible for those using mobility devices and UTA installing the amenities like benches, shelters, trashcans and signs.
You can find these updated stops along routes 1, 9, 21, 205, and 217. Expect another 95 coming online in 2023.
Lara McLellan, a Transportation Planner with Salt Lake City, gives you a great overview.
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What’s with that snowflake?
Next time you’re at your stop take a moment to note if it has a snowflake on the sign. This snowflake indicates “Snow Routing” is possible on this route. Snow routing is when inclement weather requires a bus to use a slightly different route to maintain safety. This applies to routes throughout our entire service area. Often it’s routes that have big inclines, like Route 209 going up E Street in the Avenues neighborhood in Salt Lake City.
You can review your route’s alternative path or “snow route” by visiting rideuta.com/snow.
The best way to stay informed about when snow routing happens and other impacts to service is to sign up for Service Alerts. Head to rideuta.com/signup to get route-specific email and text notifications delivered to your phone and inbox today.
Preston, UTA Service Planner, will show you exactly what to look for.
We hope you feel a little more confident using UTA bus. If you have more questions about using bus or any of our services, feel free to reach out to our Customer Service team at @RideUTA on Twitter or by phone at 801-RIDE-UTA.
Enjoy the ride!