UTA Microtransit Planning and Enhanced Paratransit Study

The Utah Transit Authority (UTA) provides public transportation throughout the Wasatch Front region of Utah, covering almost 1,400 square miles and consisting of multiple transit modes, such as fixed- and flex-route buses, paratransit and vanpool services, light rail and streetcar lines, and a commuter train. To complement these and further offer equitable and accessible transportation, UTA partnered with Via to study the viability of both microtransit and paratransit operations, launching UTA On Demand in November 2019.

Via was selected as UTA’s partner for the project through a competitive procurement process, and over several months we worked closely with a cross-functional team from UTA to develop and iterate microtransit service models, making recommendations around UTA’s critical questions, such as the cost, expected ridership, and expected quality of service under different scenarios. 

Via explored three key use-cases for microtransit:

1. First mile / last mile trips: To transport riders to and from a nearby train station, core bus route, or other designated transit connections within a fixed geographic area, i.e., zone.
2. Community service: To transport riders anywhere within a zone or a microtransit in areas that have limited demand for traditional transit services.
3. Late night / weekend coverage: To transport riders anywhere within a zone at times when UTA transit services are less frequent or not available.

The partnership also consisted of a large-scale paratransit study that examined how the introduction of new technologies and innovative service models could increase UTA’s demand-response efficiency and quality of service. UTA serves over 1.8 million people living across one of the largest geographic service areas of any transit agency in the U.S.

UTA currently has three separate paratransit operations, each operated by a different provider, as shown in the map below. Through stakeholder engagement and preliminary operational and cost data analysis, Via collaborated with UTA to develop three primary topics of investigation.

1. Combining UTA’s three paratransit services.

Via designed and conducted demand-response service simulations to estimate the reduction in vehicle hours achieved by combining the three service areas and adjusting depot locations.

2. Converting UTA’s paratransit service to an on-demand model.

Via estimated the resource requirements for introducing on-demand service to ADA customers.

3. Paratransit technology analysis.

 Via evaluated demand-response technology features that would help UTA achieve efficiency gains and allow for real-time communication with customers. 

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