SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah Transit Authority suspended several bus routes on Tuesday in response to both the spread of COVID-19 and the closure of Utah’s ski resorts and schools.
Bus routes 674 to Powder Mountain, 675 and 677 to Snowbasin, and 880 to Sundance have been suspended. Routes 953 and 994 up Little Cottonwood Canyon and 972 up Big Cottonwood Canyon will operate on a limited schedule starting March 18.
In addition, bus routes 919 and 920 to West High School and 606 and 608 to business centers were also suspended Tuesday.
Carolyn Gonot, UTA executive director, said some routes could resume, although seasonal buses to ski resorts that do not plan on reopening will will remain closed.
“Events and social gatherings may be canceled, but people still need to get to work, to social services and to visit loved ones,” said Gonot. “While we are taking multiple precautions to protect riders and our employees, we continue to hear comments from people who need our service.”
The rest of UTA’s bus routes will continue as scheduled, as will TRAX, FrontRunner and Paratransit services, although FrontRunner trains will only have three passenger cars starting Wednesday.
While public transit and social distancing might seem mutually exclusive, Gonot said fewer people have been using UTA services — buses are down 23%, FrontRunner is down 60% and TRAX is down around 25%.
Gonot said those numbers were not updated to include Monday and Tuesday, when scores of businesses and organizations along the Wasatch Front temporarily closed, meaning ridership might be even lower.
“I think we can keep social distancing,” she said during a Tuesday afternoon press conference.
With cases of COVID-19 in Utah increasing, Gonot did not rule out the chance of UTA suspending more services. But in the same breath she stressed the importance of public transportation, telling reporters, “Just being able to have transit service is a central part of the community ... you want to still be able to provide some service there.”
Eddy Cumins, UTA chief operations officer, said UTA employees are taking additional steps to clean buses and trains on a daily basis.
“We have the best workforce in the business,” said Cumins, adding that UTA employees are still showing up for work despite coronavirus fears. “We have not had any challenges as of yet with operator staffing or mechanic staffing.”