The problem with High Valley Micro Transit

I am a supporter of public transportation. In the past five years, I can count on two fingers how often I have driven to a Park City ski resort. I take the bus. It’s the same when I head to Main Street. There is no reason to drive and pay to park when you can take the Spiro 101 or Electric 10.

Yet, there is a problem with High Valley Transit.

For those who don’t know what High Valley Transit is, Summit County had a breakup with the Park City bus system earlier this year. Summit County formed its own bus system and added the ability to book a ride via a Toyota minivan to many places in the Basin. They call the minivan portion High Valley Micro Transit.

It’s great. For no money, Uber High Valley Transit will pick you up and take you where you want to go. Want to be picked up and taken to your friend’s house in Glenwild? High Valley Micro Transit! Want to go from your house to Kimball Junction for dinner? High Valley Micro Transit! Want a ride back from a bar to your house at 12:30 AM? High Valley Micro Transit!

You get all the benefits of public transport without having to ride a bus and get to ride in your own private minivan.

As one Park City High School student coined it, it is FRUBER. Free Uber.

That’s the problem. You and I, as Summit County taxpayers, are subsidizing an Uber/Lyft style transportation system for individuals. Instead of the rider paying $30 for a ride, we the taxpayer are paying for them. It’s not right.

According to a KPCW, “the driver will either drop you off at your destination or at the nearest bus stop, whichever is closest and most convenient based on how many requests the driver has at that time.”

That’s not my experience nor that of people I have spoken with.

The High Valley Transit App allows a person to book a ride from anywhere within the Basin to almost anywhere else in the Basin. From my experience, It rarely directs a user to the bus. It provides free Uber. Then officials claim that as a success because it sounds good. They have thousands of riders who are delivered directly from point A to B without paying a dime. No crap. Summit County is providing free Uber.

A few weeks ago I was headed to the Indigo Girls concert at DV. I booked the ride from Jeremy Ranch to the KJ Transit Center. I already felt bad because I should have booked it to the Jeremy Ranch Park and Ride because that is the closest transit location where a bus could pick me up. However, upon picking me up, the driver offered to take me directly to Main Street. He said he couldn’t take me all the way to Deer Valley but he could take me lower Main Street. I said I wanted to embrace the spirit of the micro-transit and said to continue to the KJ transit hub.

Since then I have spoken with people who tell me that all their friends tip the High Valley Drivers to take them wherever they want to go around Park City.

This can’t be how this was designed to be operated. I don’t beleive Caroline Rodriguez, Regional Transportation Planning Director for Summit County, had this in mind for the High Valley Transit District when they started this. From a local perspective, I have tried many times to book a ride and it is unavailable. Officials attribute this to overwhelming usage. However, I wonder if everyone WAS REQUIRED TO BE DROPPED OFF AT THE CLOSEST BUS STOP, instead of driving 30 minutes across the Basin, would there be a ride for me to the bus station? Probably.

From my perspective,