Utah Transit Authority offers affordable bus transportation to students who go to Salt Lake Community College — and this semester, the price is as affordable as ever.
UTA and SLCC are offering a $15 bus pass to all SLCC students. The Ed-Pass is loaded onto the OneCard and can be activated monthly.
The reason for the discount
SLCC chose the cheapest option for students out of three proposals from UTA.
According to Jason Beal, Senior Director of Auxiliary Services at SLCC, the price drop came about because the school wanted to make it more affordable for students to navigate between campuses. Beal says SLCC meets with UTA once a year to discuss prices; this year UTA offered a reduced rate if the volume of student riders increased.
Students can buy a 30-day pass for $15 or a semester pass for $57. Prices may change next year depending on the amount of students that use the discount.
How to get a pass
Current SLCC students can buy a pass on the UTA website and bring their student ID and their receipt to any campus ID Center. The ID Center can also issue new OneCards for students who do not have one.
The ID Center is open Monday through Thursday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Fridays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Benefits of public transit
Using public transit not only lowers the cost of driving, it helps lower the amount of toxins in the air.
According to the American Public Transportation Association, an individual who takes public transit for a 20-mile round-trip commute can lower carbon dioxide emissions by 4,800 pounds a year.
A bus pass can run upwards of $70 per month, and in the past, a monthly bus pass for SLCC would cost $50. So students who want a cheap and environmentally responsible mode of transportation should take advantage of this discount while it’s available.
