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SALT LAKE CITY — Outdoor scavenger hunts have been all the rage in Utah the past few years, and Utah Transit Authority officials hope to capitalize on the trend in the middle of the annual Clear the Air Challenge.
The transit agency debuted its first-ever "bus scavenger hunt" Monday, giving an initial clue to ride a bus in Salt Lake City to find three other clues. The first five people to direct message the keywords at each location, along with a photo of a blue bus, at the end, to UTA's Instagram account receive a UTA merchandise gift card.
A new scavenger hunt will be conducted every Monday this month, with new clues posted on the Instagram page. It culminates with a grand prize drawing at the end of the month for everyone who submits correct keywords, according to UTA spokesman Carl Arky. The grand prize is two VIP tickets to a Salt Lake City or Ogden Twilight concert of the winner's choice, as well as a one-month transit pass and merchandise valued by the agency at about $250 altogether.
"Hopefully, we'll get a good reaction, a good number of participants," Arky said. "We're looking forward to seeing how it goes."
The entire scavenger hunt features bus routes 1, 2, 9, 21, 200 and 217, all of which run through Salt Lake City. The promotion coincides with the Clear the Air Challenge, a competition aimed at reducing vehicle emissions in July, led by the Salt Lake Chamber, Utah Clean Air Partnership and TravelWise.
The contest challenges people to find ways to reduce single-occupant vehicle trips by using alternatives like teleworking, carpooling, trip chaining, walking, biking or using transit throughout July, a big month for summer ozone concerns. Air quality throughout the region decreases when pollution mixes with the season's sunlight and heat.
This year's goal is to eliminate 100,000 single-occupant trips. Arky explained the new scavenger hunt was developed as a way to "introduce people to the bus" in a unique and fun way, potentially helping reduce single-occupant trips this month.
"If we can cut back on the number of miles that are driven by the people in our community, every little bit helps," he said.
While the scavenger hunt only features routes in Salt Lake City this month, Arky adds that UTA may consider conducting a similar activity in other parts of its service area along the Wasatch Front.
That will likely depend on feedback and participation after the scavenger hunt wraps up.
"I think we're looking to see what the response is and how many people participate, and what their reaction is to it," he said. "We're always looking for new and novel ways to try and increase ridership ... and to try and appeal to people in a novel way."
