Living Life to the Fullest by Utilizing UTA to the Fullest

After growing up in Buffalo, NY for most of his life, William’s drive and entrepreneurial spirit is what landed him in Utah. From starting his own company to moving across the country, he’s never let anything hold him back. When he came to Utah for a fresh start, he was lucky enough to have a variety of job prospects—a big feat for a twenty-year-old! Some days after work, you’ll find William volunteering at homeless shelters downtown.

A year ago, William was hit by a car in downtown Salt Lake City that ran a red light. This accident resulted in him becoming handicapped. However, this hasn’t stopped William from nurturing his curiosities and living life.

When William isn’t working he loves exploring the vast Utah Valley using UTA services. “The weather doesn’t stop me. The fact that I’m in a wheelchair doesn’t stop me. If I can get outside, I get outside.” William uses UTA to the fullest extent. Residing in Murray, William has taken the bus to Park City, Toeele, Payson and even has made a day trip out to Brigham City! “I go wherever UTA will take me.”

How long have you been riding?

“I’ve been riding for seven years, Buffalo didn’t have a good transit system so it was nice to come to Utah and have that.”

William rides FrontRunner five days a week from Murray to Farmington. Some days he’ll catch the bus after hopping off FrontRunner and other days he’ll wheel himself into the office—depending on his mood!

Why do you ride?

“I ride because I need to. Not only that, but because I want to. It gets me to where I need to be. I don’t care if I’m a block or two away from my destination, that’s close enough.”

When William began riding seven years ago, he went in with no expectations. He just wanted to check out UTA’s system and see what it had to offer. He wanted to see if riding UTA daily would prove to be less expensive than owning a car. He was correct!

“My favorite thing about riding is being able to nap. I have to be at the office at 6:30 in the morning. Some days I get up at 2:00 AM for work to ensure I’m there on time. You’ll catch me on the first FrontRunner train of the day. The Train Hosts are awesome. They wake me up when we’ve arrived to Farmington.”

Rider tips?

“Always make sure that you have your fare ready. It’ll save you and your bus driver time. If you ever need help don’t hesitate to ask your bus driver or call Customer Service. I’ve found that UTA employees always treat me like I’m their friend.”

William wanted to shout out some Customer Service employees. Elsa always recognizes William’s voice and greets him like a friend. Jonathan and Paul always provide a pleasant experience, too. “Thank you, UTA employees for making those little daily interactions a very kind and warm relationship for me.”

Learn More

To learn more about how to enjoy using UTA, visit How to Ride. To nominate someone for a future Rider of the Month award, please email us at getsocial@rideuta.com.