Zero-Fares Background
In the past few years, multiple short term zero-fare studies and programs have eliminated the cost of public transit in an effort to improve our air quality and mobility. From these reports, Utah has seen a positive increase in ridership and a significant decrease in vehicle source emissions, which is the largest contributor to our air pollution throughout the year.
In February of 2022 the Salt Lake City’s Mayor’s office and a variety of public and private funders came together to cover the cost of fares for the entire month of February.
Final data provided by UTA for “Free Fare February” shows a 16% increase in weekday ridership system-wide; a 58% spike on Saturdays (with an astounding 202% increase on Frontrunner trains); and a nearly 33% increase on Sundays (when only buses and TRAX are available).
Reports also saw an estimated savings of 68 tons of criteria air pollutant generation due to transit ridership (this is the amount of air pollutants that would have been generated had 47% of riders driven instead).
Read the full report here.
ZERO-FARES FOR CLEAN AIR
Everyone benefits from increased ridership of public transit, even those who don’t use it often, because the economic and air quality benefits are felt by everyone.
- In Utah, vehicles are the largest contributor to smog-causing PM2.5 pollution in the Salt Lake Valley. Health issues associated with mobile source pollution range from shortness of breath to aggravated lung disease, asthma, and premature death. In the Salt Lake Valley, where a large percentage of Utahns live, communities experience an average of 40 days of pollutant levels above the U.S. National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) due to a combination of weather-related events, topography, and emissions.
A typical passenger vehicle emits about 4.6 metric tons of carbon dioxide per year, which exacerbates the human and environmental consequences of global warming. These negative impacts include extreme heat and heat islands, drought, and more severe fire seasons in Utah and throughout the west. These environmental and human impacts will only get worse, unless we shift away from a reliance on passenger vehicles and toward a public transportation system that benefits all Utahns.
- Support for families: this program would offset the price of gasoline in a time when gas prices are increasingly unstable.
- Funding opportunities: by increasing ridership, Utah will be more competitive for federal grants and funding from the Federal Transit Administration.
REQUEST FOR A YEAR PILOT PROGRAM
As Salt Lake City gears up to host the 2034 Winter Olympics, finding ways to offset our vehicle emissions and promote greater utilization of public transit is essential to responsibly hosting millions of visitors and increasing the equity and livability of our city as a whole. Furthermore, Utah has an incredible and timely opportunity in light of the 2034 Olympics to create a new transportation legacy, similar to the construction of TRAX for the 2002 Winter Olympics.
Past pilot programs have all been short-term, with Free Fare February being the longest at one month. This one-year pilot program will help us understand the positive impacts public transit would have on our air quality and mobility.
Take Action
Fill out this Action Alert to support funding for a statewide, yearlong zero fare transit pilot program by lobbying your state Representative, Senator, and Governor!
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