The Utah Transit Authority has announced a pilot program that will offer free or low-cost bus fare cards for eligible low income Utahns.
The program is available anywhere UTA operates. That includes Salt Lake, Utah, Davis, Summit, Tooele, Box Elder and Weber Counties!
The pilot is expected to run until June 2021, so that UTA has a full school year to identify any potential problems.
Transportation is a major problem for low income households.
The Utah Transit Authority acknowledges that a lack of transportation places an extreme hardship on low income families. It’s hard to get to job interviews, doctor’s appointments or important meetings if you don’t have a car and you can’t afford public transportation.
Those are the exact problems this pilot is intended to fix.
UTA is offering discounted bus fare cards.
These cards will be sold to public schools, nonprofits and other community organizations at a 75% discount. The cards will last for 30 days or longer.
According to KSL, it is expected that these cards will be given to eligible low income households for free.
The bus fare cards will be distributed by community agencies.
Organizations who receive these discounted bus fare cards will distribute them to the community. These organizations will determine who is eligible and track how often they are used. If the organization suspects that a pass is being abused, they will be able to deactivate that pass.
According to the Salt Lake Tribute, some of the organizations that have expressed interest in participating include:
- Halfway houses
- Temporary housing
- Addiction recovery programs
- Social service agencies
- School districts
- Employers (assisting homeless or other disadvantaged employees)
In order to receive a free bus fare pass, you’ll need to contact one of the participating agencies. It will be up to that organization to determine whether or not to offer those cards. It is reasonable to assume that the cards will be only offered to those who have been working closely with the organization.
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Nicole Thelin
Nicole is the founder and lead researcher of Low Income Relief. After a personal experience with poverty and homelessness following her husband's sudden medical discharge from the U.S. Army, Nicole discovered the life-changing impact of community resources. This experience ignited her passion for empowering others to navigate similar crises. Nicole launched her writing career at age 16, working for various newspapers and publications. Her commitment to in-depth research and accessible content has been recognized by Google for Publishers and other industry leaders. For over 20 years, she has applied her investigative skills to uncover the most helpful, up-to-date information on benefits programs and community resources, ensuring Low Income Relief maintains the most extensive resource databases available.