Salt Lake City runs on one agency, UTA, and one card. Buy a FAREPAY card, tap it on the light rail, the streetcar, or the bus, and you’re covered — the tricky part for visitors isn’t the fare, it’s that UTA skipped the tap-your-own-bank-card step most US transit systems have added. Plan to pick up a card or use the app before you need to ride.
The basics
The backbone is TRAX, the light rail network, with three color-coded lines that converge downtown:
- Blue — Draper, through downtown, north to Salt Lake City.
- Red — South Jordan north to the University of Utah.
- Green — the one from the airport, running through downtown to West Valley Central.
Around TRAX, UTA runs FrontRunner, a commuter rail line that covers the 83-mile Wasatch Front corridor from Ogden to Provo; the S-Line, a short streetcar through Sugar House and South Salt Lake; more than 100 bus routes across 6,200 stops; and UTA On Demand, an app-booked, shared microtransit van service in a handful of zones (including Salt Lake City’s west side) that fills in where fixed routes don’t reach. In winter, the seasonal Ski Bus runs up the canyons to the resorts.
How to pay
UTA’s electronic fare card is called FAREPAY. Unlike many US systems, UTA does not accept a personal contactless bank card, Apple Pay, or Google Pay at the readers — only a FAREPAY card, an eligible organization pass (school, employer, ski resort), or a ticket bought through the Transit app will get you a green light. Your options:
- Buy a FAREPAY card at farepay.rideuta.com, a UTA customer service location, or a participating retailer, and reload it online, in person, or at a retailer. There’s a one-time $3 issuance fee.
- Use the Transit app to buy and activate a ticket on your phone — no plastic card required.
- Pay cash on the bus (exact change only, the driver can’t make change) or at a ticket vending machine (TVM) on TRAX, S-Line, and FrontRunner platforms before boarding.
Whichever you use, tap on when you board and tap off when you exit — on TRAX, S-Line, and FrontRunner the readers are on the platform; on buses they’re by the door. The only exception is transferring from one TRAX train to another, where you don’t need to tap again. Skipping the tap-off voids your transfer credit and, in the Free Fare Zone, gets you charged the full fare anyway.
Downtown has a Free Fare Zone: ride TRAX or a bus entirely within its boundaries and it’s free, as long as you tap on and off (or tell the bus driver you’re staying in the zone). Leave the zone and you owe the regular fare.
Fares
| One-way (2-hour transfer window) | Day pass | |
|---|---|---|
| Regular | $2.50 | $5.00 |
| Reduced (65+, ages 6–18, disability, or qualifying low income) | $1.00 | — |
A FAREPAY card also caps what you’re charged: $5 a day / $20 a week on regular fare, or $2 a day / $8 a week on a Reduced Fare card, across bus, TRAX, S-Line, and UTA On Demand. Once you hit the cap, the rest of that period is free — you don’t need to plan ahead, it just stops charging you.
Reduced fare requires an approved Reduced Fare FAREPAY Card — as of April 12, 2026, it’s no longer sold on the spot at ticket machines, fareboxes, or the Transit app, so riders who qualify need to apply first.
FrontRunner (the regional commuter train) charges by distance: $2.50 for one station, plus $0.60 for each additional station, topping out at $9.70 one-way between Provo and Ogden.
Getting from the airport
Take the TRAX Green Line. The station is on the ground level just outside the terminal — exit through door 1A and head east.
- Cost: $2.50, the same as any other TRAX ride.
- Route: the Green Line runs directly through downtown — past Temple Square, City Center, Gallivan Plaza, and Courthouse — on its way to West Valley Central, so you don’t need to transfer to reach most downtown hotels.
- How often: UTA advertises 15-minute TRAX frequency during peak times, seven days a week; check the Transit app for the exact next departure when you land.
UTA’s official sources don’t publish a stated ride time for the airport-to-downtown segment, so budget your trip using the Transit app rather than a fixed estimate.
Apps to download
- Transit — UTA’s official app for buying and activating fares, real-time arrivals, and trip planning across every mode.
- UTA On Demand — the app for booking a shared ride in one of UTA’s microtransit zones.
- Google Maps — solid for general trip planning with live UTA data.
- Ride Time — no app needed: text a stop number to UTA’s SMS service for real-time bus arrivals at more than 6,500 stops.
When it runs
TRAX operates seven days a week, with 15-minute frequency at peak times on all three lines. FrontRunner is the one to watch: it runs Monday through Saturday only (no Sunday service), every 30 minutes at peak and every 60 minutes off-peak.
Accessibility
TRAX platforms have a ramp-request button at the access ramp — push it to extend the ramp and open the doors — and low-floor trains board at a designated ADA area. Every fixed-route bus has an automatic ramp at the front door. For riders who can’t use fixed-route service, UTA’s Paratransit program offers origin-to-destination rides, but requires an in-person eligibility evaluation first — it’s not a same-day option. UTA’s Travel Training team will also walk riders through using buses, TRAX, or FrontRunner one-on-one, free of charge.
Etiquette & local quirks
- Tap on, tap off, every time — it’s not an honor system like some cities; fare inspectors carry handheld readers and check for proof of payment on TRAX, FrontRunner, and the S-Line.
- Bring a payment method, not just a bank card. Since UTA dropped support for personal contactless cards and mobile wallets, a visitor’s usual tap-and-go habit won’t work here — get a FAREPAY card or use Transit.
- If you’re continuing south to Provo or Orem, UTA’s bus rapid transit line there (UVX) doesn’t take cash at all — you’ll need an electronic fare or the app.
- Heading up the canyons in winter? The Ski Bus ($5 one-way) serves Solitude, Brighton, Snowbird, Alta, Snowbasin, and Sundance, and is included free with an IKON Pass, resort season pass, or Super Pass bought through Visit Salt Lake.
Good to know
- Construction near Sugar House: the S-Line Extension Project is underway, with construction phases running into 2027 (UTA’s tentative schedule has systems testing wrapping up around August 2027) and rotating street and parking closures near the line — the streetcar itself keeps running, but check UTA’s disruptions page if you’re driving or parking nearby.
- Paper passes are going away. UTA discontinued monthly paper passes after April 12, 2026 — FAREPAY or the Transit app are now the way to hold a pass.
- Paratransit vehicles don’t have card readers — riders pay another way, since the electronic fare system isn’t installed on them.