High Valley Transit Executive Caroline Rodriquez said the new 40-foot electric buses will replace the shuttles used on routes this year.
She said they’re eager to test the new EVs in the winter weather.
“We are supposed to get around 400 miles before they can charge, but we really don’t know what’s going to happen in winter temperatures,” Rodriquez said. “So our maintenance team really wants to test out what’s going to happen in those cold temperatures before we get it on route, because the last thing we want is to send one out to Heber and then have the charge die.”
The only route change for High Valley’s winter service is the 105 shuttle servicing Canyons Village will increase its frequency to every 7 minutes, rather than 15.
High Valley will continue to run its 107 route between Salt Lake and Park City, following the Utah Transit Authority’s decision to cut a similar route.
High Valley is also continuing to offer its ride-hailing micro transit service in Park City, along with Summit and Wasatch counties. Rodriquez shared results of a recent survey of micro transit riders.
“One of those results is 56% of the respondents said they would take a single occupancy vehicle if High Valley service wasn’t an option,” she said. “Another great data point was 71% of respondents reported saving money is a benefit of using the service. And 58% of respondents said they are more likely to use a business that is adjacent to a transit stop than not.”
All of High Valley Transit’s services are free, and Rodriquez said it will stay that way.
“In our case, charging a fare actually costs a lot more than we would recover in fares because of the requirements around fare collection, fare reporting - it is really a barrier for agencies,” she said. “Not to mention it’s a barrier for our riders, and we're in the phase of still wanting to bring in new riders.”
Rodriquez said High Valley’s new headquarters on Old Highway 40 is slated to be complete next fall. She said they’re aiming to complete the state Route 224 bus rapid transit project by 2026.
For more information on High Valley Transit’s service, visit highvalleytransit.org, which Rodriquez said will get a facelift in the coming days.
