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TO: |
Transit Commission |
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THROUGH: |
Jay Fox, Executive Director |
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FROM: |
Nichol Bourdeaux, Chief Planning & External Relations Officer |
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PRESENTER(S): |
Nichol Bourdeaux, Chief Planning & External Relations Officer |
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Megan Waters, Community Engagement Director |
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Jaron Robertson, Planning Director |
TITLE:
title
Budget Topics
end
AGENDA ITEM TYPE:
Discussion
RECOMMENDATION:
Informational item for discussion
BACKGROUND:
UTA’s 2027 partial budget includes additional S-Line service in April 2027 along with an increase to the base fare rate. The service plan and changes were discussed in the Transit Commission meeting on September 23, 2026, as part of the tentative budget overview. The fare increase analysis and plan were originally presented in a public meeting on January 14, 2026. Since then, UTA has completed further analysis of the impact of both the service change and fare increase, as required by Federal Transit Administration Title VI requirements.
Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits discrimination based on race, color, or national origin in federally funded programs and activities. Title VI regulations apply to UTA because UTA receives federal financial assistance, including from the Federal Transit Administration. The regulations ensure UTA services, programs, and benefits are provided equitably and without discrimination and provide a framework to identify and address potential inequitable impacts before decisions are implemented.
DISCUSSION:
In August 2026, UTA began public engagement efforts regarding the proposed fare rate increase, implementation of a new fare payment method (tap-to-pay), and implementation of the S-Line extension.
A Title VI analysis was performed on major changes, which included the proposed fare changes only (the S-Line change did not meet the threshold of a major change but was included in public comment due to the visibility of that change to service). The proposed fare rate increase was analyzed using demographic data from the 2024 On-Board Survey to determine who is impacted by the proposed change. Riders who pay directly for their transit trips are more impacted by a fare increase than riders who have institutional or employer-provided passes.
Findings of the analysis indicated that a higher share of minority riders are paying directly on all modes (disparate impact) and a higher share of low-income riders are paying directly on bus (disproportionate burden).
A public comment period was held from August 10 - September 9 to gather public comments on these proposals. One virtual public open house was held on the evening of August 26. A total of 1,155 individuals participated in the comment opportunity, and 1,598 unique comments regarding service and fare change proposals were submitted.
The themes of public comment can be summarized into six main categories of feedback:
1. Opposition to the fare increase based on affordability and equity
2. Service quality, reliability, and frequency improvements before higher fares
3. Requests for expanded service hours and coverage
4. Strong support for tap-to-pay and modern payment options
5. Requests for better fare structure and fare enforcement
6. Support for transit investment and expansion, with questions about priorities
Public comments were considered by program area leaders prior to proposals being finalized. In response to the findings of the analysis and public comment themes, several mitigation recommendations have been developed, including:
• Create and implement a communication and outreach plan
• Conduct targeted outreach
• Continued availability of reduced fare programs at 60% discount.
• Continued availability of fare capping through the FAREPAY program
• Monitoring of fare product usage following implementation to identify any unintended impacts and evaluate whether additional mitigation measures should be considered.
The Finance Office recommended the following changes to the Executive Director:
1. Implement Tap-to-Pay fare payment method in first quarter 2027
2. Implement a fare rate increase in April 2027
• Base Fare: $2.50 - $3.00
• Reduced Fare: $1.00 - $1.20
ALTERNATIVES:
N/A
FISCAL IMPACT:
The proposed 2027 budget includes the proposed fare and service changes.
ATTACHMENTS:
• Title VI Equity Analysis & Public Involvement Report 2027 Draft