The Federal Transit Authority announced this week that the Utah Transit Authority (UTA) will receive a national award for its Website, www.rideuta.com. UTA shares this distinction, titled "Top Transit Traveler Information Websites," with three other transit agencies: New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority, Tri-County Metropolitan Transportation District of Oregon and Denver Regional Transportation District. UTA will be officially presented with the award next month at the annual marketing and communications conference for the American Public Transportation Association. Based upon criteria of Website content and usability for the customer, the four recipients of this award were selected after a national review and ranking of 1,000 functioning transit system Websites. Positioning UTA to receive this award, the agency introduced the trip planner on its Website last February, just prior to the 2002 Olympic Winter Games. The trip planner plots how a rider can get from point A to point B. Customers enter their starting address, destination address and the time they want to arrive, and the planner generates up to five travel options. UTA's Website also provides customers with route and schedule information, transit pass sales and an interactive schedule viewer that allows the customer to see a schedule in its entirety or to select certain time points.