SALT LAKE CITY — If you were planning on taking public transportation home after midnight on New Year’s Eve, that’s not going to happen.
Utah Transit Authority announced IT would run buses and trains on their Sunday service schedule, even on New Year’s Eve.
“To see that our public transportation service organization didn’t prioritize late night service on a holiday that is centered around celebration, which often means imbibing of substances and drinks that make it difficult for people to drive, it’s not safe,” said Alex Cragun, former board trustee in salt lake city for UTA , and current board member of Sweet Streets.
UTA announced that all TRAX lines end by or before midnight, most UTA bus lines (including OGX in Ogden) conclude on or before 7p, the S-Line connecting Sugarhouse with UTA’s TRAX Station at Central Pointe Station (2100 South) operates until 11:30 p.m, no FrontRunner, UVX in Provo, and the Ski bus also runs on regular Sunday service.
“A lot of people are going to be drunk, you know it’s not safe to drive, especially on New Years Eve, so I don’t understand why they would stop it,” said Alyssa Johnson, who uses TRAX frequently to commute to work and school.
“Folks will be left with very limited options,” added Cragun. “And as a city that wants to welcome people, and ensure that they’re having an end-to-end positive experience, going in and investing our dollars and prioritizing, and working with our public transportation agency so that we’re meeting that need, should be a priority.”
“I want people to have a great experience in our downtown,” said Eva Lopez Chavez, Salt Lake City council member-elect, district 4. “For now, we can’t really do much, but I would say, I think this is a lesson for us, to prepare, we have many new years ahead of us. I hope in the future that we look with intention to expand access to our downtown. We’ll see thousands of people visiting on New Years.”
FOX13 did reach out to UTA, and received a statement saying, “some of our buses will actually be operating later in the evening until 9 pm. The organization has to operate within the parameters of its regular Sunday service schedule. We feel this schedule will provide safe and convenient transportation for a majority of those who might be going out on New Year’s Eve.”
Some said this could impact businesses too, if people are discouraged from coming from different places to visit downtown on New Year’s Eve.
“Those are sales dollars, those are revenue dollars, that are going to keep these businesses alive and thriving. A lot of folks depend on holidays and rushes,” said Cragun.
Make a plan to keep yourself and others safe, this New Year’s Eve. Try to have a designated driver who can responsibly bring you to and from home or check if the bar or restaurant you’re at offers any discounts on ride share services. Happy new year and stay safe.
