A new transportation line connects the ski country of Utah with the state’s dinosaur country.
A private-sector firm called Megabus has partnered with another company, Salt Lake Express, to launch a route between Salt Lake City and the Uinta Basin city of Vernal, located close to Dinosaur National Monument.
The vehicles ply the scenic U.S. 40 corridor between the Park City area and Vernal, linking Park City’s skiing with the river rafting in the eastern part of the state, as well as the energy industry in that area. Although Park City and Vernal are separated by more than 140 miles, the new route provides a possible boost to the local economy as access is increased between Park City and points east.
The Megabus schedule indicated the trip from the Park City area to Vernal takes 2 hours, 45 minutes, with stops in Heber City, Duchesne and Roosevelt. There were two trips scheduled on the route to Vernal on Saturday, one leaving the Park City area at 9:15 a.m. and the other leaving at 6:15 p.m. The least expensive tickets as of midweek were $50. The vehicles from Vernal toward the Park City area on Saturday were scheduled to leave at 3 a.m. and 12 p.m., with the least expensive tickets priced at $47.75.
The Park City-area stop is at 6500 S.R. 224, at Kimball Junction. Megabus said several models of vehicles — up to one that can carry 56 people — will be employed on the route, depending on demand.
“The viability of any public and private transportation system hinges on ridership. We (offer) safe and reliable service that is the foundation to building and maintaining a customer base. We believe that the service provided will continue to exceed the customers expectations and a viable option for the traveling public many years into the future and look forward to serving a wide range of business and leisure customers,” Colin Emberson, a Megabus vice president, said in a prepared statement about the route.
Government leaders in the Park City area have for years pressed transportation systems as a step in reducing traffic and as an environmentally friendly option compared to private vehicles. Most of the work has involved the public sector and has been in Park City and the Snyderville Basin, but a route linking Park City and Salt Lake City also exists. There is also a route between Park City and Heber City.
It is not clear what sort of customer response the Megabus route will attract as potential customers weigh other options like private vehicles and shuttles between some of the stops. It is also not clear what category of rider will be interested. The rank-and-file Park City workforce, many commuters who are priced out of Park City’s resort-driven real estate and rental markets, could see the route as an option, as could skiers and snowboarders hoping to avoid driving themselves in wintry conditions.
The Park City Chamber/Bureau is pleased with the route, saying it could serve a variety of people headed to or from Park City. Jennifer Wesselhoff, the president and CEO of the Chamber/Bureau, in a prepared response to a Park Record inquiry about the route, said the service “dovetails with the Chamber’s commitment to provide car-free access to Summit County. While we were not asked to provide any incentives for the new service, we believe this service will be very beneficial (and popular), once it is well established and publicized.”
She said the route is expected to serve Park City-area visitors and members of the workforce living in Salt Lake City and the Wasatch Back. Wesselhoff said people visiting Park City from abroad could embrace the route.
“Our international visitors may be the very first to migrate to the Megabus offerings because they are most comfortable with all forms of transit (versus driving) and tend to seek out options during their trip planning phases,” she said.
She added praise for the decision to use environmentally friendly vehicles, saying “this is also very much in concert with our goals of reducing the carbon footprint in the region.”
Wesselhoff also said Megabus is a well-known brand elsewhere in the U.S., including in Las Vegas and on the East Coast, “where many of our Park City guests also travel. Having this brand connected to a local operation (Salt Lake Express) will bring a higher profile to our offerings.”