Utah Transit Authority
Salt Lake City, UT · NTD ID 80001 · 2024 report year
Utah Transit Authority carries 40.5 million passenger trips a year across six modes — bus, light rail, commuter rail, vanpool, demand response and commuter bus — making it the 27th-busiest transit operator in the United States, and the largest in Utah. It is based in Salt Lake City, UT.
It spends $464 million a year running that service, or $11.46 per trip. Its bus service, the largest of its modes, costs $11.11 per rider — 20% below the $13.86 median for the 1,162 US agencies reporting bus.
Over the 10 years reported, ridership remains 9% below its 2019 level, the last full year before the pandemic, and up 16% on 2023. Fares cover 8% of operating cost.
Service by mode, 2024
| Mode | Annual trips | Operating expense | Cost per rider | vs national median | Farebox | Vehicles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bus#33 of 1,162 nationally | 19,745,601 | $219 million | $11.11 | -20% | 8% | 309 |
| Light Rail#10 of 22 nationally | 13,964,839 | $105 million | $7.53 | -35% | 12% | 74 |
| Commuter Rail#11 of 27 nationally | 4,128,460 | $53.6 million | $12.98 | -71% | 9% | 40 |
| Vanpool#5 of 113 nationally | 1,151,649 | $29.8 million | $25.89 | +266% | 13% | 448 |
| Demand Response#21 of 1,920 nationally | 935,854 | $45.4 million | $48.53 | +28% | 2% | 145 |
| Commuter Bus#14 of 153 nationally | 576,587 | $10.7 million | $18.50 | -36% | 5% | 38 |
Ridership, 2015–2024
| Year | Annual trips | Operating expense (2024 $) | Cost per rider (2024 $) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 40,502,990 | $464 million | $11.46 |
| 2023 | 35,059,930 | $445 million | $12.69 |
| 2022 | 31,457,920 | $451 million | $14.35 |
| 2021 | 23,972,294 | $392 million | $16.36 |
| 2020 | 23,559,294 | $388 million | $16.46 |
| 2019 | 44,578,161 | $382 million | $8.56 |
| 2018 | 44,176,331 | $376 million | $8.51 |
| 2017 | 45,078,919 | $330 million | $7.32 |
| 2016 | 45,521,914 | $352 million | $7.72 |
| 2015 | 46,721,585 | $310 million | $6.64 |
Where Utah Transit Authority ranks
- Cheapest Light Rail Systems by Cost per Rider #6 of 22
- Most Expensive Light Rail Systems by Cost per Rider #17 of 22
- Highest-Ridership Light Rail Systems #10 of 22
- Cheapest Commuter Rail Systems by Cost per Rider #1 of 24
- Most Expensive Commuter Rail Systems by Cost per Rider #24 of 24
- Highest-Ridership Commuter Rail Systems #11 of 27
- Best Farebox Recovery Among Commuter Rail Systems #18 of 24
- Most Expensive Bus Systems by Cost per Rider #27 of 40
- Highest-Ridership Bus Agencies #33 of 40
- Most Expensive Demand-Response (Paratransit) Services by Cost per Rider #27 of 40
- Highest-Ridership Demand-Response (Paratransit) Services #21 of 40
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These are the headline figures. Ask NTD answers the rest in plain English — by mode, by year, against any other agency.
Ask NTD about Utah Transit Authority →Source & method. Figures are from the Federal Transit Administration's National Transit Database (NTD) annual reporting for 2024, the most recent published report year. Cost per rider is operating expense divided by unlinked passenger trips. Farebox recovery is fare revenue divided by operating expense. Ten-year trends are adjusted for inflation to 2024 dollars; single-year figures are as reported. Agencies self-report to the NTD, and reporting practice varies, so figures are best read as comparable in magnitude rather than to the cent.