Rural Utahns Want More Transportation Options Like Transit

The document highlights a significant disparity in Utah's transportation funding, noting that the state has spent 8.5 times more on highways than transit over the last 50 years. It emphasizes that over 800,000 people in rural Utah have no access to transit, creating barriers to healthcare, employment, and community participation, particularly for older adults, people with disabilities, and low-income residents. The report cites the Moab Area Transit pilot program as a successful model and notes that over 50 percent of rural Utahns support investments in statewide passenger rail and transit services to connect smaller towns to larger cities.

• Utah has historically prioritized highway expansion over public transit, spending 8.5 times more on highways than transit over the past 50 years, which exceeds the national average of 5.5 times.
• Transit access is severely limited in rural Utah, with over 800,000 people having no access to transit at all, while less than 3 percent of the state's population lives within walking distance of frequent transit.
• There is significant demand for expanded transportation options among rural residents; a 2023 survey found that over 50 percent of rural Utahns want leaders to explore investments in statewide passenger rail, transit in tourism areas, and connections between small towns and larger cities.
• The Moab Area Transit pilot program, funded through a combination of UDOT, federal rural grants, COVID-19 relief, and city matching, served over 30,000 people in 2023 and improved independence for youth, older adults, and people with disabilities.

APA

Union of Concerned Scientists (2024). Rural Utahns Want More Transportation Options Like Transit. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2025-02/freedom-to-move-utah.pdf

Chicago

Union of Concerned Scientists. Rural Utahns Want More Transportation Options Like Transit. 2024. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2025-02/freedom-to-move-utah.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Union of Concerned Scientists |title=Rural Utahns Want More Transportation Options Like Transit |date=October 2024 |url=https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2025-02/freedom-to-move-utah.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{unionofconcernedscientists2024rural, author = {{Union of Concerned Scientists}}, title = {{Rural Utahns Want More Transportation Options Like Transit}}, institution = {Union of Concerned Scientists}, year = {2024}, month = oct, url = {https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2025-02/freedom-to-move-utah.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }