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2003 February 28 Transit Day
This day did not start out exactly how I planned it. My plan was to take an 8 bus up to the 9400 South/2000 East Park N Ride lot and then ride the 94 on its loops which would complete them for me.
However, as the first 8 bus approached it passed me on by even though there was enough daylight for him to see me. In fact with me waving my arms and everything he hit his brakes and kept on going. There was another bus right behind him deadheading to run the 354 but he just looked at me as he passed and shrug his shoulders. Needless to say I was very upset. It was clear the driver of the 8 was not paying attention but the 354 who saw the whole incident occur did not even have the decency to do anything about it.
8 9555 1995 Gillig Phantom 40-footer
After waiting about 20 minutes and this one actually stopped. He stopped and proceeded to tell him what happened. I asked him if he stops at the park n ride lot before making the loop but he does not which means I would miss my connection. The driver was very nice and dealt with me properly despite me being upset as I proceeded to do my best no to take it out on him (in fact I have ridden with this driver several times since and he has always been friendly).
The driver decided to go ahead and stop at the Park N Ride lot so I would not miss my connection. Now this driver is a champ.
94/90 0102 2001 Gillig Advantage Low Floor 40-footer
The driver on the 8 that dropped me off at the park n ride sure has changed my day. I was pretty grumpy after being passed up earlier but the other driver showed what good customer service is and made a favorable impression. I only mention it now after almost 5 years because I was afraid that he would get in trouble because he went “off route” to take care of a customer. Sad that you have to worry about these things isn’t it?
Now I would get the opportunity to ride the full route of the 94 line on its loop through Sandy which has been discontinued due to the bus revamp.
It is interesting to see some of what you notice when you have ability to watch the scenery go by instead of driving. We turned the corner at 3100 East and 9800 South were a UTA driver got on to head to work and I noticed that there was a house that still had their Christmas lights on.
I also noticed that Mt. Jordan was pretty a narrow street and I was surprised that the people around here would want a big evil bus running down their street even though it had probably been there longer than they have.
This bus is equipped with one of the passenger counter systems. It measures when someone gets on and gets off the bus. The one problem with the data is that it does not tell them why a person got on or off, their destination and origination, and so forth just the numbers, which leads to faulty data in the marketing process because not having better information on the customer.
What is interesting is that the bus boarded 4 passengers and let off 1 in this segment of the trip. Thanks to the bus reorganization only a small portion of this section still has service. So what happened to the riders who boarded the bus along the stretch that no longer has service? Most likely they are driving now instead of taking the bus.
I took the 94 all the way to TRAX where the bus becomes the 90 and continues on 90th South. Along the section of the 94 there was 1 person got off, 7 boarded and one of the new seven got off for a total of 8 passengers plus myself.
The trip on the 90 was pretty uneventful. The line passes mainly suburban sprawl strip centers and JordanValleyHospital. As we approach 40th West, I saw the 41 route which was my next bus take off.
Now this is one of the big problems with buses that run only every 30 or 60 minutes and why timed transfers between these routes are so important. Now I have to sit and wait for almost an hour before the next 41 will leave. Now if they would have a timed transfer it would be easy. Now here is the chicken and the egg kind of thing. UTA’s transit mentality would say that few uses that connection so it doesn’t matter. However, who would use it when they have to wait for almost an hour?
Four people got on at the bus at the TRAX station with no one getting on along the entire route.
41 9538 1995 Gillig Phantom 40-footer
There was one person already on the bus when I boarded at the layover zone along 9000 South. The driver of this bus was not really friendly but I have encountered few bad drivers on the UTA so this is my day to get them!
Shortly after departing the end of the line the bus crosses over the former branch line of the Rio Grande railroad that will be seeing TRAX trains in the not too distant future.
While passing Columbia Elementary on 7800 south there was a three car rear ender wreck. Apparently a teenage driver decided he wasn’t going to slow down for the school zone but the car in front of him did.
There is a nice park at the corner of 7000 South and 3200 west. I have passed this park many times over the years having lived down at Redwood Road and 7000 South for a couple of years when I first moved to Salt Lake City.
A total of 7 passengers got on the bus by the time I got off at 4700 South in order to catch the 40. I did notice that the southbound 42 was running about 3 to 4 minutes early which could cause trouble for people running right on-time.
40 0119 2001 Gillig Advantage Low Floor 40-footer
When I boarded the bus there was 3 passengers on board including a cute girl w/ glasses and chestnut blonde hair with highlights in it. She proceeded to get off the bus just a few blocks away at 4000 West.
I noticed along 4700 south east of 4800 West there is a multi-purpose trail that runs for a few blocks and looks to have been a former rail line or something. After passing 4800 West there is not much to see until you reach the end of the line at 4100 South and 5600 west.
40 0108 2001 Gillig Advantage Low Floor 40-footer
I walked over to the layover zone for the 40 bus heading back east. The bus made the loop via 4100 South/6000 West/5600 West but stopped a block north of the actual layover zone and stayed there.
Finally the left that bus stop and almost didn’t stop for me. I know I took a shower this morning so what could it be?
This bus was a good one for those who like checking out good looking girls. First a really cute blonde got on at 4715 South and 5150 West, then another girl with dark red hair got on at 4700 South and 2600 West and got off at 4500 South and 500 West.
We passed an AB’s Drive In at 4715 South and 4100 west. I tried the one on 3500 South a few times when I worked at Gateway which was located at 5600 West and the 2100 South Expressway (this one has since moved to 5600 West and 4000 South) and they have really good hamburgers and French Fries.
I saw another rear end accident this time at the northbound off ramp of I-215. Apparently an Acura Legend rear ended an SUV.
This was a busy bus as we had a total of 21 people get on and 7 people get off the bus by the time we reached the TRAX station. While many got off at TRAX several stayed on which shows how UTA cutting the routes in half at the TRAX stations causes and inconvenience to their passengers.
TRAX 1030 1992 Siemens-Duwag SD100
I took TRAX on the two minute journey from the Murray North TRAX station (4400 South) to the Murray Central TRAX Station at 5300 South.
84 0162 2001 Gillig Advantage Low Floor 35-footer
There were already 3 passengers on board including a nice looking older blonde (40’s) and a couple of UTA bus drivers.
One person, who was on the 40 with me, rode TRAX and got on the 84 like me. He proceeded to get off at Vine and 300 West.
One of the UTA drivers got off at Vine and Murray Blvd and the attractive older blonde got off at 461 West Murray Blvd.
I noticed that an Iceburg Drive Inn moved into the old Kenny Rogers Roaster which was located just east of Redwood Road on 5400 South.
I celebrated when one woman got off the bus at Redwood Road. Since leaving the TRAX station she had been talking very loudly on her cell phone in Spanish. You could here every word she was saying if you were in the car next to us. Now peace and quit.
Another cute girl with chestnut blonde hair boarded the bus at 2700 west and proceeded to get off at 3800 West. The other UTA driver got off the bus at 3600 west.
I got off the bus at 5600 West and 5400 South in order to catch my next bus the 34. For ridership we started with 3, 2 others got on and all were off by the time we reached 3800 south.
34 9317 1993 Orion V 40-footer
I was the only passenger on this bus as we left the end of the line at 5600 West and 5400 South. Another large development was going in at 5600 West and 5600 South.
Most of the homes along Copper City Drive appear to be from the 60’s and 70’s, most of them being split levels. After leaving this development you pass a golf course on 5600 West.
This was one of the busier routes today. I rode the entire route from 5600 West/5400 South to downtown. I was only passenger leaving the end of line and over the course of the route 18 passengers board the bus. One cute brunette boarded at 4700 South/4520 West and got off at 4600 South and 4000 West. Then an nice looking older blonde got on at 4000 West/4385 South that rode to downtown.
One of my favorite Mexican places to eat is La Frontera and I noticed there is one at 400 South and Concord. There is also a large park at 400 south and Cheyenne and a classic Spanish Style Church at 400 South and 1040 West.
The 34 was one of the more diverse routes when it comes to areas it passes through. It starts off with older suburban sprawl some of which is starting to have severe gang infestations. It passes by the commercial area at 3500 South and PioneerHospital before driving along the border of old and new WestValley. Then it goes through an industrial area, passes the E-center arena, goes through more industrial before passing through one of the more economically depressed areas of SaltLake the Westside.
I got off at 200 South/State and waited for my next bus which would be the 7
7 9944 1999 Gillig Advantage Low Floor 40-footer
The 7 line is one of the lines that were greatly hurt by poor scheduling at the UTA. From the University of Utah to where the 7 turns at Stratford which is just north of 2700 South, the bus ran with the 11 route. Instead of providing coordinated service that would provide every 15-minute service along this stretch the UTA had both buses running on top of each other. Needless to say one bus would have many passengers the other would only have a couple.
While I am no fan of the low floor buses (they are a necessary evil, the make dealing with wheelchairs easier, work with the ADA but they reduce seating capacity, are noisier, have more front end trouble, and in general not a nice bus to ride as a passenger), these Gillig Low Floors seem to have good heaters. The bus was cold when we boarded and by the time we went a few blocks the bus was already getting warm. Not bad from a California built bus.
We had six passengers by the time we got to the University of Utah were a cute blonde got on and 2 of our passengers got off. In total we had 8 passengers board the bus and all of them got off by Imperial and Atkin except for me and the cute blonde and she was still on when I got off at Highland Drive.
I also noticed one of the more interesting restaurants I have seen in Salt Lake City and that were the Roma Restaurant on 3300 South and about 1500 East. Sadly it is no longer a restaurant but the last time I was by that area a retail store was located in the building. The building had a round glass enclosed sitting area that reminded me of the fine restaurant at the Plaza hotel in Las Vegas.
31 0105 2001 Gillig Advantage Low Floor 40-footer
If you are into Chinese Food like I am then the routes along 3300 South (today the 33 and the 35) are good ones to take. I counted six of them from 1300 East to the Valley Fair Mall.
Because this route goes right by the UTA headquarters building and garage, many deadheading drivers ride this route to get back and forth from their bus route assignments either to relieve a driver who started in the morning or to return after being relieved. The driver of our bus makes an off handed comment that bus drivers make the worse passengers. By the time we reached the TRAX station we had 5 drivers on board the bus.
At Main Street a several passengers get on including the wheelchair. The driver deploys the lift and asks the lady on the right side of bus to move please because he needs to put the wheelchair there. The wheelchair boards and the woman just sit there. The three people all sitting on the other side move so the wheelchair can be tied down on their side instead.
I get off at the TRAX station and walk across to one of my favorite burger joints, Apollo Burger from Lunch (Crown Burger is my other favorite in the SaltLake area).
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After another wonderful cheeseburger and fries (Apollo has great fries), I was ready for the next part of my journey (OK, OK, I know a cheeseburger and fries is not the most healthy meal but I do not eat very often so it is more a treat than anything regular). I walked across the street and walked over to the 31 stop.
The bus had 6 people on board when we left the station including a cute brunette and a cute blonde. Both of them got off at the SaltLakeValley detention center so you make of that what you want. Only one person boarded the bus between TRAX and the Valley Fair Mall.
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When I lived in Spokane it seemed that there was many attractive woman drivers working for the transit system but that does not seem true in Salt Lake City but on this trip I did get a shorter cute blonde.
2 people got on the bus when I boarded at Valley Fair Mall, 3 got on at Redwood Road and 2 more got on at 700 west on our short journey back to the TRAX station.
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When I boarded the bus at the TRAX station there was already 4 on board including the cute brunette that got off at the detention center on my previous 31 ride just a short time ago. Altogether 11 people boarded the bus here at TRAX and we were on our way.
Just a block from the TRAX station is an In-Town Suites. I have not been at this one but having stayed at the one in Midvale, Utah I will warn you to stay away.
Even though I only traveled from the TRAX station to 700 East which is about a mile we boarded 3 people with 7 getting off including the cute brunette at State Street.
I had a few minutes to kill before my next bus was going to show up so I decided to walk north to 2700 South which would only take a few minutes. 700 East is not the most pleasant street the walk down since you have a narrow sidewalk and cars driving past you at 50+ miles an hour (the speed limit is 45).
At the corner of 700 east and 2700 south is Nibley Park & Golf Course and along 700 east is a monument that mentions that the park began as Caulder’s Amusement Park before becoming WandermereAmusement Park. I did not see a date that mentioned when the amusement park closed.
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There was 7 people on board the bus plus one that got on with me 2700 South. The ride along 700 East is pretty boring. There is lots of homes along the way that now face being against a superspeedway of a street.
The route then jogged over to 900 East on 3900 South. At about 4700 south there was a large empty building that used to be a Home Base but it has been closed for about 4 years. It would be a couple of years before this big empty big box found a new owner but the mighty Wal-Mart came in and put a Super Center at the location.
This route passes a lot of commercial areas, and then passes the historic Wheeler Farm, the FortUnionShopping center were I worked at the time before traveling along Creek Road which is filled with very expensive homes. I got off at Alta and Highland Drive in order to catch the Route 8.
The 44 bus had a good load for a route that has been killed by UTA. With the 8 that left 2700 South we gained one passenger at 3900 South and 900 East and this during the off-peak times.
8 9916 1999 Gillig Advantage Low Floor 35-footer
Another bus that has a passenger counter on it.
I rode the bus from Alta Drive to 7200 South (Fort Union Blvd). There was one passenger on the bus and one got on with a bicycle before I got off.
Highland Drive is very typical upper middle class suburbia: Lots of walls to keep the neighbors from being friendly and expensive apartments.
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This was going to be another short ride as I rode the 85 from Highland Drive over to the CottonwoodCorporateCenter, another large suburban office complex. I was the only passenger on this part of the route.
14 0105 2001 Gillig Advantage Low Floor 40-footer
This was another bus equipped with a passenger counter. When I got on the bus the driver who had a pony tail was busy talking on his cell phone. This doesn’t bother me so long as he doesn’t do it when he drives.
I saw an empty Ski Bus Route 96 go by while waiting for us to leave.
Shortly after leaving the Cottonwood Corporate center the bus jogs over on 6200 South over to Holladay Blvd. There is many million dollar homes being built along this section of the route so there is few who will lower themselves down to riding the bus.
The bus travels through a nice commercial area in Holladay that still has a couple of independent pharmacies, a Apollo Burger, and other small shops. After leaving this small commercial zone the bus mainly travels through residential areas but not the million dollar variety. There are a couple of “s” curves on this route that makes you question why there is a 40-foot bus assigned to this route.
When we passed an elementary school along 2700 east it look liked the kids were going on a skiing trip as there was lots of kids running around with ski equipment and two Prevost Marathon buses sitting in the parking lot loading the kids up.
I got off the bus at 3300 East and 3300 South so and walked over to catch the 31 bus. Only one person got on the bus and they boarded at 4500 South and 2300 East. The driver was not friendly so I was not upset at getting off the bus.
31 0125 2001 Gillig Advantage Low Floor 40-footer
Must be my day for getting unfriendly drivers because I scored another one however another passenger got on at the End of line with me and it happened to be another attractive woman with long blonde hair.
Now you’re probably asking yourself why would I once again be on the 31? Well, I have ridden the 31 westbound from Highland Drive to the Valley Fair Mall. By riding it westbound from the end of the line to Highland means have I ridden the entire route westbound. My plan was to go to 700 East and return which would also finish off the entire 31 route for me.
The end of the line here for the 31 used to also service the 13 route. It is in front of a Fred Meyer (which has been renamed by the parent company Kroger to Smith’s Marketplace). There is a McDonalds in the parking lot and there used to be a Burger King at the other corner but it is not closed.
The 31 is one of the busier routes in the UTA system. Besides the attractive blonde, 12 other people got on the bus by the time I got off at 300 East. However it may not sound like much but they were very noisy as one had a walkman going near the back of the bus going full blast and we could here it from the front and some one’s cell phone rang the whole time it seemed like. To top it all of there was a bad rattle from the panel above the back door that was falling apart. Pretty sad for a two year old bus but the people making the decisions on what to buy and supposedly holding the bus manufacturers to the fire don’t ride the bus enough to know about these kinds of problems.
Another interesting note I made: gas was up to $1.66 a gallon, doesn’t seem so high with gas prices around here now at $3.00 a gallon.
31 0120 2001 Gillig Advantage Low Floor 40-footer
I walked across the street and waited only a couple of minutes before the 31 arrived so I could finish riding the entire route.
The bus had 15 passengers on board already and 2 more boarded with me at the stop. One more passenger would get on at 500 East. Only one of the passengers made it to the end of the line with me.
After getting off that bus I walked around the corner to board my 14.
14 9339 1993 Orion V 40-footer
The bus nearly passed me by as it appears the 14 driver is not used to picking up passengers at this spot. There was already one passenger on the bus which was equipped with a passenger counter.
The bus briefly gets on Interstate 215 before driving along Foothill Drive. There is a few nicely maintained older motels along this road, one looking to be from the 40’s or 50’s.
3 other passengers got on before I got off at 1300 South.
14 0105
I walked around the shipping center that sits between Foothill and 2100 East south of 1300 South before walking back and boarding a southbound 14 bus. There was 6 people on board the bus when I got on including a very attractive blonde.
I actually ended up with the same driver that I rode north on leaving the CottonwoodCorporateCenter earlier.
Only one other person got on and that was at 3300 East/3300 South. The cute blonde got off at 2300 East and 4600 South and the last person besides myself got off at 4500 South and 2500 East.
I rode to the end of the line which finished off the 14 line for me.
85 9212 1992 Orion V 40-footer
There was one other person who got on at the CottonwoodCorporateCenter with me. We ended up leaving the end of the line 5-minutes late.
Along 3000 East I saw a kid carrying a street sign with him but a Sherriff car went by him with out even paying attention.
One person got on the bus before I got off at 2300 East and walked back to our duplex ending an adventurous day on the UTA.
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