Estimated read time: 4-5 minutes
- The Suntran bus system in southern Utah is launching a useful app and media campaign.
- The new route connects St. George to Zion National Park, aiming to boost ridership.
- Springdale Mayor Bruno supports the route, highlighting its impact on reducing congestion.
ST. GEORGE — Residents of southern Utah will soon be able to track buses and buy tickets on an app.
David Cordero, communications and marketing director for St. George, told KSL.com the Suntran bus system app is "nearing completion," with a planned launch by the end of the year.
The growing southern Utah city is also engaging in what Cordero calls a "semi-aggressive advertising campaign to help spread the word" about the region's newest bus route, which runs from St. George to Zion National Park with periodic stops in the cities and towns in between.
The route opened in November to modest ridership, with 491 people riding in its first month — approximately 20 per day, according to St. George data.
"It takes a while for things to catch on and people to hear about it," Cordero said, noting it is the off-season for Zion National Park, which means far fewer tourists are visiting and the park's public shuttle often isn't operating. However, he added that due to the expected revenue for the route during peak time, including a 2019 Utah Department of Transportation grant and county sales tax, the bus route costs the city nothing to operate.
The Utah Department of Transportation provided funding for the Zion route buses and a storage area for them in 2019, and the county imposed an additional sales tax to subsidize the program, Cordero said.
The city is looking to get the word out with a big push, including digital, video and radio ads.
"In this day and age, you gotta hit a lot of different mediums. So we're exploring those right now and doing our best to try to fill the bus. The more people that are using a bus, the less there are driving, and the better the impact will be on Zion," he said.
While initial ridership is low, the Zion route is already having a big impact on the town of Springdale.
"We have one road through town — it's a UDOT road, state Route 9, and it gets so congested when the park is busy that sometimes people can't even get to their own streets and driveways. So anything we can do to reduce the traffic is great," said Springdale Mayor Barbara Bruno, a longtime advocate for the route. She also credits former Mayor Stan Smith, who worked with UDOT to help secure funding for the route in 2019.
The town of Springdale has 600 full-time residents, but Bruno said its roads see over 5 million visitors each year.
The bus line also allows many Springdale residents to get to work at Zion National Park without taking up parking spaces park visitors could be using, Bruno noted. "We have at least 1,000 people who come up to Springdale to work every day. So if we could get a bunch of them on that shuttle, it's good for them and it's good for us."
"It also makes it a little bit more accessible for someone who may live in St. George or Washington, who is offered a job in Springdale but may not have reliable transportation. This is reliable," Cordero added.
"Or let's say you wanted to go and go to Oscars, for instance, for breakfast one day," he said, referencing a popular Springdale cafe, "and then maybe check out a little bit of the park — $10 a person round trip each way — you kidding me? That's a great deal. You can't get there cheaper than that."
An unlimited monthly pass for the route is also available, which reduces the fare for a full-time employee to approximately $2.50 a ride.
The bus route offers free fares for municipal employees working along the route, and Bruno confirmed several of Springdale's municipal employees already ride the bus into work each day.
"Suntran is talking with our business owners about the schedule," she added, and the two hope to adjust the timing of the 10 daily buses to accommodate more employees. "It's a work in progress, and I'm very hopeful about where it's going and where it'll end up."
