UTA recorded almost 30,400 boardings from legislators, government employees, policy-makers and citizens as they rode public transit to the Utah State Capitol during the 2016 legislative session. Ridership to the capitol during the session increased by 56 percent over the same time period in 2015, when 19,460 boardings were recorded on route 500.

This year, riders had two convenient options to get to the capitol – route 500 and a temporary service called the 500 Special Capitol Connector. Route 500 serves North Temple and Salt Lake Central stations and is timed to connect with FrontRunner. The Capitol Connector connected riders coming from Courthouse TRAX Station and North Temple Station to the capitol building, facilitating travel from the Red, Green or Blue TRAX lines. Combined, the two routes offered 15-minute service along much of the route.

The Capitol Connector was designed to help relieve limited Capitol Hill parking and encourage riders to help clear the air during what are typically the worst inversion months of the year. The special service started when the 2016 session began on January 25 and ended when the session concluded on March 10.