Utah Transit Authority bus rapid transit
The Utah Transit Authority operates two bus rapid transit services along the Wasatch Front in Utah, United States. It is described by UTA as "light rail on rubber tires.", an additional one is under construction, two are planned, and one has been discontinued.Description
BRT has service improvements that differed from regular bus service, such as Transit Signal Priority, increased spacing between stops, high-frequency service, and improved stops. BRT lines had limited stops. UTA BRT lines typically contain limited fixed guideway segments. The first such fixed guideway was built for the MAX service in West Valley City on 3500 South from 3600 West to 2700 West.
Another characteristic that distinguishes BRT from regular bus service is that it did not have a set schedule for all of its stops. BRT routes would leave their first stops and travel as fast as legally and safely possible to the end of the line.
The first BRT line opened on July 14, 2008. The service was discontinued on August 7, 2022.
Another feature of BRT is that passengers could enter vehicles by any door and do not have to show proof of fare to the driver upon boarding. Fare payments are made via transfers from other services, Ticket Vending Machines at select stops, and via card readers present on platforms. Fares were never truly enforced as they were on the TRAX and ''FrontRunner.''MAX
MAX was the former branding used by UTA to describe their BRT services. Only 1 line, 3500 South MAX, ever used this branding, however, several planned lines used MAX, such as UVX, MVX, or 5600 West BRT. Over 80 miles of MAX routes were planned at one point.
MAX had several unique features that distinguish itself from the current BRT system. It's fixed guideway segment was much more limited than future projects, with only 2 stations and mostly running single tracked. All MAX stations also had ticket vending machines, whereas services like UVX only plan to install ticket vending machines at the busiest stations, relying on fare cards and transfers from other services.Current BRT lines
Utah Valley Express is a BRT line that connects the Provo Central and Orem Central FrontRunner stations via Brigham Young University and Utah Valley University. UVX opened on January 9, 2019 traveling a route of 11 miles with 5 miles of dedicated lanes. UVX runs Monday through Saturday from about 4:00 am to Midnight.Ogden Express is a BRT line that connects Ogden Central station to McKay-Dee Hospital, running through Weber State University and downtown Ogden. OGX opened on August 20, 2023 traveling a route of 5.3 miles with around 2 miles of dedicated lanes. OGX runs 7 days a week from 4:30 am to Midnight on Weekdays, 9 am to 10:30 pm on Saturdays, and 10 am to 6 pm on Sundays.Future BRT lines
There are several BRT lines under study, planned, or under construction in the UTA Service Area.Midvalley Express is an under-construction BRT line that will connect Murray Central station to the West Valley Central station, running through the Salt Lake Community College campus in Taylorsville. MVX is planned to open in April 2026, traveling a route of 7 miles with around a mile of dedicated lanes. MVX will run 7 days a week from 4 am to Midnight Monday to Saturday and from 6 am to 9 pm on Sundays.Davis-SLC Community Connector
The Davis-SLC Community Connector is proposed to link Farmington FrontRunner Station in Davis County to the University of Utah's Research Park. Planned to open to 2028/2029, it will have transit signal priority within downtown Salt Lake City. However, no dedicated lanes will be built along its 26-mile long-route. Initial service plans envision this route to come every 15 minutes during daytime hours and every 30 minutes during early mornings and late evenings.Former BRT lines
3500 South MAX
The 3500 South MAX line connected Magna with the West Valley Central TRAX Station in West Valley City and the Millcreek TRAX station in South Salt Lake, traveling along a route of on 3500 and 3300 South. It was the first of several BRT lines that UTA is planning for the Salt Lake Valley and Utah County. Costs for the project totaled $17 million ; a light rail extension along the same route would have cost $100 million. Original plans were to discontinue MAX service between the Millcreek and West Valley Central TRAX Stations once the West Valley extension of the TRAX Green Line was completed. However, even though the Green Line began service in August 2011, as of May 2014, service between the two TRAX stations still continued. The 3500 South MAX ran Monday through Saturday from about 6:00 am to midnight. It was permanently discontinued on August 7, 2022, after a year of temporary suspension caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.