Reduced Transit Fares in Salt Lake City After the Hive Pass

2 hours ago

7 min read

Salt Lake City no longer sells its discounted Hive Pass. If you used it, or you're simply tired of paying $2.50 a ride, the main option left is UTA's reduced fare. It costs $1 a trip on buses, TRAX and the S-Line, and on local service it never charges more than $8 in a week. You qualify through income, a state benefit, age or a disability. Students in the Salt Lake City School District ride free, and anyone can ride free in the downtown free fare zone. This guide shows how to get set up and avoid the mistakes that cost riders money.

AT A GLANCE

Reduced fare: $1 per local trip and $2 per FrontRunner trip, on a FAREPAY Card only.
Caps: No more than $2 a day or $8 a week on local service, and $4 a day or $16 a week on premium service.
Income test: Household gross income up to $31,920 for one person or $66,000 for four, or enrollment in SNAP, TANF, HEAT, Medical Assistance or another listed DWS program.
Other ways to qualify: Age 65 and up, ages 6 to 18, or a qualifying disability.
Card cost: $3, refunded as account credit if you're approved. UTA has offered free cards to reduced-fare riders at its customer service centers while supplies last.
Help: 801-RIDE-UTA (801-743-3882), or walk in at 3600 S. 700 W.

What happened to the Hive Pass

Salt Lake City residents used to be able to buy a discounted UTA pass through the City's Hive Pass program. That program is gone.

"Salt Lake City no longer offers the Hive Pass." (Salt Lake City Transportation)

The City now points residents to three other options: UTA's reduced fare card for low-income riders, free passes for Salt Lake City School District students and their guardians, and the free fare zone downtown. For most adults who aren't students, reduced fare on a FAREPAY Card is the one that matters.

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What you'd pay

The FAREPAY Card is a reloadable card that you tap on and off each time you ride. It automatically applies fare caps, so once you hit the daily or weekly maximum, more rides that day or week are free. The week runs Sunday through Saturday.

Service	Regular fare	Regular cap	Reduced fare	Reduced cap
Local: bus, BRT, TRAX, S-Line, UTA On Demand	$2.50 a trip	$5 a day, $20 a week	$1 a trip	$2 a day, $8 a week
Premium: FrontRunner, Express Bus, Ski Bus	Varies	$10 a day, $40 a week	$2 a trip for FrontRunner	$4 a day, $16 a week

FrontRunner adds $0.30 per station on top of the base fare. UTA lists the Express and Ski Bus reduced base fare as $2 on one page and $2.50 on another, so check before you ride those routes. Either way, the caps above still apply.

For someone who commutes five days a week on local buses or TRAX, the weekly cap means the most you'd pay is $8 at reduced fare instead of $20 at regular fare.

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Do you qualify?

UTA has five reduced-fare categories. How long your approval lasts depends on which one you use.

Category	Who it covers	Approval lasts
Income	Households under UTA's income limits, or enrolled in a listed DWS program	1 year
Seniors	Age 65 and older	5 years
Youth	Under 19 (children 5 and under ride free with a paying adult)	5 years, or until you turn 19
Disability	People who meet the ADA definition of disability	5 years
Disability with attendant	People who ride with someone who assists them	5 years

The income limits. Your household's gross income, before taxes and deductions, must not be more than:

Household size	Yearly gross income
1	$31,920
2	$43,280
3	$54,640
4	$66,000
5	$77,360
6	$88,720
7	$100,080
8	$111,440
9 or more	Add $11,000 per extra person

Or a state program. You also count as low-income if you're enrolled in one of these Utah Department of Workforce Services programs: ABD (Aging, Blind, Disabled), TANF cash assistance, child care assistance, the Family Employment Program, General Assistance, HEAT, Medical Assistance or SNAP.

If you got HEAT help with a Rocky Mountain Power or gas bill this year, that's worth remembering. It can qualify you here too.

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Getting your card and applying

1. Get a FAREPAY Card

Reduced fare only works on a FAREPAY Card. A new card costs $3. You can buy one at the ticket machines at every TRAX and FrontRunner station, at UTA customer service locations, or from local FAREPAY vendors. If you're approved for reduced fare, the $3 comes back as credit on your FAREPAY account. One UTA page says the refund is applied automatically. Another says you have to request it from Customer Service, so ask if you don't see it.

In March 2026, UTA said reduced-fare customers could get a free FAREPAY Card at its customer service centers while supplies last. If you can get to one, start there.

Location	Address	Phone	Hours
Salt Lake City – Meadowbrook	3600 S. 700 W.	801-287-4664	Walk-in Mon–Fri 7 a.m.–6 p.m.; phone Mon–Fri 8:30 a.m.–5 p.m.
Provo Central Station	701 S. Freedom Blvd., Provo	801-227-8923	Mon–Fri 7 a.m.–6 p.m.
Ogden Transit Center	2393 Wall Ave., Ogden	801-626-1207	Mon–Fri 7 a.m.–6 p.m.

2. Set up your FAREPAY account

On a computer or phone, go to the UTA FAREPAY portal. Create an account if you don't have one, then add your card to it.

Already have an account? UTA says all FAREPAY account holders need to log in and update their password, security details and payment information. Auto-reload has to be set up again too. Do this before you apply so the application doesn't stall.

3. Apply for the entitlement

Log in and find the image of the card that belongs to the person applying.
Click the three dots in the card's upper-right corner and choose Apply for Entitlement.
In the Media list, pick that person's card.
In the Entitlement list, choose the category: youth, seniors, disability, disability with an attendant, or income.
Upload the required items, marked with a red asterisk. They include a clear, front-facing photo of the applicant's face.
Click Apply.

UTA will email you within 5 business days. Once you're approved, the card image in your account shows the word "Entitlement," and the card starts charging reduced fares across the system.

What to upload:

Income: One or more of 60 days of pay stubs, last year's W-2, or last year's tax return.
Age: A photo ID, such as a state ID, passport, Permanent Resident Card or student ID with a photo.
Disability: A disclosure form signed by your currently licensed health care provider, or your Medicare card.
Medicare eligibility: A photo of your current Medicare card.

If you're qualifying through SNAP or another DWS program instead of pay stubs, UTA's online document list doesn't spell out what to upload. Call 801-RIDE-UTA before you apply and ask which benefit document to attach.

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Riding without overpaying

Tap on and tap off every ride. UTA charges by where you tap. If you skip the tap-off, you can be charged more than your reduced fare.
Watch the light. Green with a check mark means the tap worked. Red with an X means it didn't. Yellow means something's wrong with your account. Your entitlement may have expired, or the card may have a problem.
Your cap starts fresh. On approval day, any progress toward a regular-fare cap resets to zero, and your reduced cap starts from there.
Show your card if a fare inspector or officer asks.
Paratransit is separate. FAREPAY Cards aren't accepted on UTA Paratransit, and paratransit isn't part of fare capping. UTA sells a 10-ride punch card for paratransit.
Set a reminder. Income approvals last one year. Put your renewal date on your calendar so the yellow light doesn't surprise you.

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Free options in Salt Lake City

School district passes. Salt Lake City School District students, from grade school through high school, get a free pass for a full year starting August 1. It covers local buses, TRAX, the S-Line and UTA On Demand. It doesn't cover FrontRunner, Ski Bus or paratransit. Passes come through the schools, so ask your school's main office. Parents of elementary students need to request one. Each student household can also get one Guardian Pass so a parent can ride along to and from school. Questions go to the Salt Lake Education Foundation at 801-578-8269.

Downtown free fare zone. Anyone can ride free inside the free fare zone downtown. UTA publishes a map of the zone.

Medicaid rides. If you need rides to medical appointments, Utah's Department of Health and Human Services gives Medicaid members a separate UTA Transit Card for non-emergency medical transportation. It's run by the state, not UTA.

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Before you call

☐ Your FAREPAY Card number, or a plan to pick up a card first
☐ Your FAREPAY account login, with your password and security details updated
☐ 60 days of pay stubs, last year's W-2 or last year's tax return
☐ Your SNAP, TANF, HEAT or Medical Assistance approval, if you're qualifying that way
☐ A clear, front-facing photo of the person applying
☐ A photo ID for age-based applications, or a signed provider form or Medicare card for disability

WHAT TO DO THIS WEEK

Compare your household's gross income with UTA's table, or confirm you're enrolled in SNAP, HEAT or another listed DWS program.
Visit the Meadowbrook customer service center at 3600 S. 700 W. to ask about a free FAREPAY Card, or buy one for $3 at a TRAX station.
Log in to the FAREPAY portal, update your security details, and apply for the entitlement.
If you have a student in the Salt Lake City School District, ask the school office about their free pass and a Guardian Pass.

More help in Salt Lake City

Rocky Mountain Power bill help in Salt Lake City: HEAT and other programs

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Official sources

Last checked: October 23, 2026. Fares, caps and income limits come from UTA's current Reduced Fare and FAREPAY pages. UTA says it plans to add debit and credit card payments later in 2026, which may change how some riders pay.