You may have seen a headline or two about our emergency service reductions, you may be a veteran Ski Bus rider, or this may be your first trip on the bus, either way here’s what “you need to know” to enjoy the ride to the slopes this season.
The Ski Bus Changes In a (Chestnut) Shell
For the most part, Ski Bus is running as it has in previous years. Here’s a snapshot of the changes for the 2022-2023 Ski Bus season.
What’s changing:
- Due to a nationwide operator shortage, we had to reduce frequency. Service in Big and Little Cottonwood Canyons will run every 30 minutes instead of every 15 minutes.
- Route 972 will not service Albion Day Lodge or the Town of Alta and will terminate at Goldminer’s Daughter stop.
- Again due to the operator shortage, Route 953 will not operate for this season. Please use Route 994 as an alternative
- Routes 674, 675, and 677 will be more midday and fewer peak trips.
What remains the same:
- Duration: The Ski Bus is running for the same hours and days of the week.
- Coverage: We are still serving seven resorts across Weber, Salt Lake, and Utah Counties.
- Service: Our commitment to moving riders up and down the canyon reliably and safely.
How to Ski Bus (with Ease)
1. Park it and ride it from (almost) anywhere.
Many of our TRAX Stations have adjacent park and ride lots. You can park your car at these lots for free and take TRAX to the ski bus connection. This approach might add five to ten minutes to your time on TRAX but it will save you a lot of stress of fighting for parking closer to the canyon.
2. Travel during off hours (if you can).
Speaking of stress — if you can — traveling during off hours is best. Consider traveling midday: 10 am to 2 pm. You can also start early — route 972 up Big Cottonwood Canyon leaves TRAX Midvale Fort Union Station starting at 6:15 am and Route 994 up Little Cottonwood Canyon leaves TRAX Historic Sandy Station starting at 6:01 am.
3. Use our Rider Tools.
As with all transit, there’s a big “X factor” involved in trip planning. Though everyone at UTA works hard to make sure connections are made, information is available and everyone arrives safely, there are certain things outside of our control. This is very much the case while traveling through our canyons. There’s the potential for heavy traffic, road maintenance closures, avalanche management closures, and unfortunately, vehicle accidents.
Service Alerts - The best way to stay informed is by signing up for Service Alerts. You can sign up to receive route-specific alerts delivered by email or text. Take a moment right now to sign up for the routes most relevant to you. It’s super easy signup and super easy to unsubscribe, so give it a try.
Transit App - Transit App is UTA’s preferred trip-planning app. You can see the location of your bus, and trip plan, get step-by-step instructions, and opt-in to Service Alert notifications there as well — all in one app!
And if you like “not another darn app” you’re welcome to use the vehicle locator and trip plan at rideuta.com.
UTA GoRide - Some ski passes include UTA fare and some do not. If you need to purchase a Ski Bus fare you can do this on our UTA GoRide app. In fact, you can purchase a fare now, and just activate it when you need it.
If you’d like more detailed information on each Ski Bus route, hop over to rideuta.com/ski for a deeper dive into this year’s Ski Bus service.