A free FrontRunner ride / Top of Utah college students recount pluses, minuses of use
Text 
By MITCH SHAW
Standard-Examiner Davis Bureau
LAYTON -- College students in the Top of Utah are getting a free ride to school -- on buses, FrontRunner and TRAX.
Students technically pay for their Utah Transit Authority Ed Passes with the student fees they are assessed at the beginning of each semester. However, once the fees are paid, they have unlimited access to most of UTA's transit services.
"For students, you really can't have it any better," said UTA spokeswoman Carrie Bohnsack-Ware.
"With gas prices the way they are, it's nice to have another option."
The LDS Business College, Brigham Young University, Salt Lake Community College, University of Utah, Utah Valley University, Westminster College and Weber State University all have Ed Pass programs.
The Ed Pass contracts are modified to meet each school's service needs, Bohnsack-Ware said.
"Each school's program varies. We tailor the programs to match the level of service each school anticipates it will need."
University of Utah and Weber State University students make good use of their Ed Passes and ride for free on the various forms of transportation offered by UTA.
Both universities are known as "commuter schools," Bohnsack-Ware said, and the free service is essential to many students who are already strapped for cash after paying for tuition and books.
"Most of the students (at the two universities) are living off campus and are traveling quite a distance to get to class each day, so when they use it, they aren't only saving money, but they are taking cars off the roads," she said.
Darcee Blickfeld, a University of Utah sophomore, lives in Layton and takes FrontRunner to school every weekday except Thursday.
She drove to school during her freshman year and said she prefers the train to the freeway.
"It's a much easier way to get to school. There's no traffic, you can study on the train -- it's just a lot better."
Although FrontRunner keeps Blickfeld out of traffic, taking the train has added some time to her commute.
"Sometimes the TRAX connections can be a little slow," she said. "When I drove, it took me about 45 minutes to get to class from my house, and now it takes over an hour, but I think it's worth it."
Jessica Burrell, another U of U student from Layton, said time is a small price to pay when considering how much money she saves in gas.
"So far, it's worked out really well. Driving is probably a little bit faster, but you save so much money on gas this way, it's too good to pass up."
Megan Clifford, a University of Utah graduate student, moved to Layton from Minnesota a little more than a month ago and has also seen her pocketbook grow fatter as a result of purchasing less gas.
"I've only filled up my car once since I moved here," she said. "I save so much money riding the train, I don't think I could ever start driving to school."
Bohnsack-Ware said UTA won't know exactly how many students are using the service until an electronic fare-collection system is installed in December.
It will include a touch-card fare system that allows riders to pay for their fare using a credit or debit card.
UTA will also begin using this electronic fare-collection system to validate the rides of all students participating in the Ed Pass program.
"Right now, because students are just showing their cards, we don't have any hard numbers on how many students are from Weber State and how many are from the U," Bohnsack-Ware said of students using UTA service.
"When we start using the new system, we will be able to see exactly how many students are using FrontRunner and what schools they are from."
Add Your Comment
Tell the lies yourself.
Car users paid for frontrunner with their "user Fees".
Note! User fees should go to users!
You have no clue of road costs.
Curent Costs of SPUI interchanges are about $30 million. But, Bangerter has none. All of Bangerter cost less than $250 million.
Car users paying $20 billion for UTA. But, UTA share of all trips still only about 1%. If car users were not paying $20 billion to UTA, there would be enough money for UDOT's $16.5 billion un-funded projects.
Of course, numbers, data, the question of who pays and who makes out like a bandit, have no meaning to your ilk.
PAY YOUR OWN WAY on TRANSIT, GUY!
Find out what it costs to provide your transit rides and PAY the TOTAL COST of YOUR TRIP COSTS!
it is that simple