Utah Transit Authority officials presented a tentative 2025 budget to the Transportation Coordinating Committee, saying ridership has rebounded to roughly pre-pandemic levels and the agency expects to add new service in April 2025.

Carlton Christensen, speaking for UTA, said recent months show ridership increases: "This number was from a couple months ago, 18.1%, but we're a little over 16% right now." He told the committee the system’s weekday peaks, particularly commuter rail (FrontRunner), are filling and that UTA achieved an important federal milestone of about 80% occupancy at peak time on FrontRunner, which factors into federal funding considerations.

Christensen described the agency’s revenue mix and budget priorities. Sales tax remains UTA’s primary revenue source; the authority also receives federal funds and farebox recovery. He said debt service comprises about 17.6% of revenue—down from approximately 25% six years earlier after debt restructuring—and that roughly one-third of UTA’s budget goes to capital, with about half of capital funds devoted to system maintenance.

UTA’s tentative 2025 plans include new local service beginning in April, which will require additional operators and support staff. Christensen said UTA employs about 2,900 people and is hiring continually; the agency reported it is at “about 102% of our staffing” though more hires are planned to support added service.

Christensen discussed fleet strategy and maintenance for clean-energy vehicles. UTA has approached electrification cautiously, he said, noting early-generation electric buses sometimes had lower run-time reliability compared with diesel. "In the early acquisition of those buses ... those buses had about a 75% run time on them," Christensen said, adding that diesel vehicles historically ran about 95% of the time. UTA has added approximately 40 electric buses and expects more natural-gas vehicles; the agency’s long-term fleet goal is about 50% electric or natural gas over the next two decades.

Christensen also described investments in charging infrastructure, facilities and IT systems and said UTA is changing its fare-collection system toward a mobile application to reduce cash handling. He highlighted UTA’s administration of the federal Section 5310 program, which helps provide vehicles to local governments and nonprofit agencies for specialized transportation (for example, senior centers).

The presentation noted an economic return study tied to the Unified Transportation Plan: Christensen summarized a finding that “for every dollar invested in UTA, it generates dollars 5.11 in economic return for the entire state of Utah.” He said UTA’s midday and weekend ridership have increased relative to pre-pandemic patterns, reflecting changes in travel behavior and land-use patterns.

Trustees and committee members asked about electric-bus maintenance and operational readiness. Christensen said a cautious, mixed fleet approach balances electric, natural gas and diesel vehicles and that operational experience and improved models are guiding procurement. He said facilities investments and updated maintenance capacity are part of the plan to support increased clean-energy vehicles.

The agency plans to adopt a final budget in early December, Christensen said. He invited committee questions and noted that public input and local advisory council comments had informed the tentative budget.