Park City leaders hopped aboard the trolley Wednesday morning, Dec. 10, for a festive ride around Old Town.
The ride honoring 50 years of Park City Transit featured the trolley decked out in tinsel and driven by Santa Claus himself.
Since Park City Transit's inception in 1975, buses have been fare-free. Now, the transit system includes a dozen routes and carries an average of 2 million riders per year.
Mayor Nann Worel said Park City’s robust public transportation network is part of what makes the town special.
“Park City Transit began in the 1970s as a practical solution for a mountain town, but it quickly became something more,” she said. “Choosing free public transit was a statement of values: access over congestion, community over convenience and long-term thinking over short-term fixes.”
She thanked the city’s dozens of bus drivers for getting people to their destinations no matter the weather, patiently navigating through peak seasons and welcoming every visitor to town.
“I’m always amused when I’m on the bus and I hear visitors asking the bus driver like they’re the bus concierge about where they should have dinner, where they should take their children,” she said. “And so, these folks are more than just drivers. They are beautiful representatives of Park City.”
The city’s transit manager, Bill De Groot, said Park City Transit has more than 100 drivers on staff during the busy winter months. In summer, there are around 60 drivers.
He said Park City is committed to offering transportation almost around the clock.
“A lot of services in resort towns kind of close with the resort,” he said. “We continue to run. So, in the wintertime, we’re now up to 22.5 hours of service. It’s really about the continual movement of people around town to give them a legitimate option not to drive.”
De Groot said the transit system is also working hard to ensure buses are accessible to all.
“We have about 20 drivers now that speak multiple languages,” he said. “We’re trying to be a reflection of our community and the visitors to our community.”
Park City Transit also has door-to-door services available for riders with mobility disabilities who can’t use the fixed route bus service, and for people over 65.
The town’s beloved trolley arrived on Main Street in 1985.
The 2002 Olympics prompted the city to create the first routes from Kimball Junction to Old Town.
In 2021, High Valley Transit joined the regional transportation network. Its buses are also free and mostly serve unincorporated Summit County. Connections are also available to Heber City and Salt Lake City.
For more information about bus routes, visit the Park City Transit and High Valley Transit websites.
Park City Municipal is a financial supporter of KPCW.
