UTA's 'Free Fare February' was a huge hit, now some want to make it a forever thing.
Final data provided by UTA for"Free Fare February" shows a 16% increase in weekday ridership system-wide; a 58% spike on Saturdays ; and a nearly 33% increase on Sundays ."Free Fare February" was conceived to see if more people really would get on public transit if they no longer charged the $2.50 fare . Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall pushed it with some support from the Utah State Legislature.
The mayor pointed to UTA's own data showing as much as 68 tons of pollutants were removed from the roads throughout February as a result of the experiment. A survey of 5,000 riders found more than half were choosing to get on a bus or train because it was free; 87% said they would continue to ride it if it stayed free.
Mayor Mendenhall is among those who would like to explore making free transit permanent. Such an idea would not come cheap. An estimate provided to the Utah State Legislature said it could be as much as $50 million annually. Sen. Harper told FOX 13 News he was pleased to see the outcomes with the February experiment. He also planned to hold a hearing in the next few months about the successes, challenges and whether the state should make it"Free Fare Forever."
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