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Transit rider urges council to keep HivePass program, warns of harm to low-income residents
Summary
A Salt Lake City resident urged the council to retain the decade-old HivePass ($42/month) transit subsidy, arguing cancellation would hurt low-income riders, impede access to work and could increase fare evasion; he suggested modest price increases, administrative savings or better outreach to boost usage.
Mike Juarez told the council he is an "avid user of the tracks and bus lines" and urged the council not to discontinue the HivePass program, a decade-old subsidy that allows eligible Salt Lake residents to ride for $42 a month. Juarez said the pass is a critical lifeline for low-income individuals who cannot afford cars and warned that eliminating it would harm people’s access to work and could increase fare evasion on UTA buses and trains.
Juarez recommended alternatives to cancellation: a modest price increase rather than full elimination, reducing administrative costs or improving advertising and accessibility to increase ridership. "Please keep the Salt Lake City HivePass program active," he said, asking the council not to make it harder to live here.
