High Valley Transit has been a driving force behind public transportation since its launch in May 2021. Now, two new additions to its fleet last week will help the transit district serve the Wasatch Back in a sustainable way.
The High Valley Transit District last week received two electric buses from various funding sources, such as the Volkswagen Clean Air Act Civil Settlement, that were awarded around 2018 in partnership with Park City, before Summit County separated transit services. The vehicles are the first of their kind for the transit district, which is slated to receive six other buses as part of the agreement.
Half of the vehicles will be 40-foot, rapid transit-style buses, while the other four will be branded High Valley Transit commuter buses that are similar to what’s utilized on the PC-SLC Connect route, according to High Valley Transit Executive Director Caroline Rodriguez.
Though it will be about 30 days of training before the vehicles are in service, Rodriguez said, the new buses represent a huge shift in how the transit district will operate in the future.
“We can reasonably say that the Summit County Council, the Park City Council and most stakeholders in the greater Park City area have really committed to clean, renewable energy,” she said. “High Valley Transit is following in their footsteps. We have always envisioned clean vehicles and moving to a greener technology.”
Charging capability is still a challenge for the transit district and officials will have to acquire portable charges for the new buses, but they will not be efficient longterm as more of the fleet transitions to clean technology. High Valley Transit is looking into installing vehicle charges in Kimball Junction and at Jeremy Ranch as well as plans to include larger charging capabilities at the new headquarters near Home Depot off U.S. 40.
Rodriguez estimated that the current fleet is made up of around 20 to 25 full-size buses, around 15 medium buses and approximately 20 vehicles dedicated to microtransit. However, the numbers change as vehicles are serviced or retired. High Valley Transit services Summit County as well as areas in Park City and the Heber Valley.
The transit district has also surpassed its year-over-year ridership each month with usage “off the charts” until around two weeks ago, according to Rodriguez. She said there’s been consistent ridership, particularly on the 106 Wasatch Back Connector and the new 107, which goes between Salt Lake City and Park City.
The biggest challenge for High Valley Transit this winter has been staffing. Rodriguez praised the dedicated drivers, many of whom commute from outside of Summit County, who show up for work despite the historic snowfall and lackluster home base. She also noted a new initiative to invest in High Valley Transit employees, which provides new tires for the personal vehicles of big bus operators.
Over the next year, it will be critical for High Valley Transit to move out of the large, white, circus-like tent at the Ecker Hill park-and-ride.
The county has been blasting bedrock at the Gillmor Parcel site, which has slowed down the process somewhat and increased the project budget, but Rodriguez said dirt is being moved and progress is being made.
Once the ground is level, she expects building construction to start. The new headquarters consists of an 11,000-square-foot maintenance shop, an 18,000-square-foot administrative building and a 31,000-square-foot bus barn.
The project was estimated to cost more than $24 million in August. When it’s completed, it will house 24 full-size buses as well as parking for smaller vehicles, a fuel station and the possibility of employee housing.
High Valley Transit could occupy the new space by September 2024.
“It means everything. The fact that we have been able to perform at such a high level under such stressful conditions is, to me, amazing and speaks to the dedication of our staff. Imagine what we could do under optimal conditions. Imagine if we weren’t working out of a tent,” she said. “We’re doing this at about 20% of where we should be. If we were fully at 100% functioning at an operational level, I think the service we would be able to put on the ground – the community would be even more invested.”