High Valley Transit had its first-ever planning retreat Oct. 23 to think big-picture about the growing bus service.
To kick off budget season, staff pitched the board of trustees on route proposals penciled into the draft 2025 financials.
A new route to Park City Mountain
“The 109 ‘Snowball Express’ is an idea that we've had based off of feedback from our residents,” COO Brad Herkimer told KPCW.
The Snowball Express would only run from December to early April, directly between Park City Mountain and the Jeremy Ranch and Pinebrook area.
High Valley Board Chair Kim Carson said they hope it takes pressure off the 101, which accounts for 65% of all High Valley riders, and the 10X Express between Kimball Junction and Old Town.
“People were really frustrated, because, yes, they're trying to take transit, but they go to get on a bus and they keep having full buses pass them,” Carson said on KPCW’s “Local News Hour” Oct. 23.
There are four stops on the Snowball Express: the Jeremy Ranch park-and-ride, the Ecker Hill park-and-ride, Canyons Village and Mountain Village. Board members signaled they’d like to discuss the pros and cons of including Deer Valley as well.
Extra bus between PC and SLC
High Valley Transit may double service on the 107, the free bus between Park City and Salt Lake City. Staff suggested it run every 90 minutes instead of every 2.5 hours.
Executive Director Caroline Rodriguez said that’s in response to rider demand and requests. Twelve such riders wrote to the Federal Transit Administration in support of a recent grant.
“We always see consistent ridership on our commuter routes, especially the 107,” she said.
The current bus stops would remain the same if service increases.
Other changes included in the budget were adding a Woodward bus stop and increasing the frequency of the 10X.
Board signals support
Herkimer said adding Woodward Park City to the 108 year-round will make microtransit more efficient everywhere else by freeing up vans.
Microtransit refers to the fleet of High Valley minivans that operate like a free version of Uber or Lyft.
“Right now, Woodward is one of our number one locations, both for folks who work there and people who want to recreate,” he told KPCW.
Carson expects fellow board members to approve all of the above after they showed support in a straw poll Oct. 22.
The changes would cost about $11.6 million in total. They are already built into the balanced $68 million budget High Valley Transit proposed for 2025.
The board will adopt a tentative budget in November before finalizing in December.
