Utah Transit Authority’s (UTA) app-based transit service, UTA On Demand, has surpassed one million completed rides and has grown ridership by more than 50% since this time last year.

UTA’s decision to introduce UTA On Demand with Via in 2019 was part of the agency’s broader ambitions to integrate more technology and innovation into the network.

The goal was to improve access to opportunity for all people, especially those with disabilities; to increase transit coverage; and to provide an all-day service, including providing the first-and last-mile connections to the larger transit system where ridership does not efficiently warrant fixed-route service.

Bringing On-Demand Transportation Options

UTA On Demand provides UTA with the ability to expand transit coverage in emerging areas, build a healthy foundation of riders and analyze their demand patterns, and eventually building ridership to inform fixed routes.

UTA On Demand provides connections in four geographic zones serving neighborhoods in three counties.

The flexible, convenient transit option uses virtual bus stops to extend the reach of the network’s fixed routes. The 2024 data reveals that over one-fifth of UTA On Demand rides connect with UTA’s other transit modes.

Success Brings Expansion

As a result of its continued success, the program has expanded capacity every year and today provides broad transit coverage across four zones for residents in rural, suburban, and urban areas of the Salt Lake City metropolitan area.

UTA On Demand’s technology and operations are powered by TransitTech provider Via, which works with hundreds of communities in the U.S. to create integrated, tech-enabled public transit networks.