SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - Utah transportation officials say thousands participated in a program that offered free bus and train passes to people willing to leave their cars at home to improve air quality.
The Utah Transit Authority said this week they handed out 7,000 weekly passes, worth $50 each, from Feb. 17 to April 7. They were used for 28,500 bus and train boardings.
The program’s goal was to encourage people to use public transit rather than cars during winter months when the air in the Salt Lake City air becomes some of the worst in the country.
Utah lawmakers this year took steps to clean up the smoggy air but veered away from giving state regulators further reach in policing pollution. That dismayed Utah Gov. Gary Herbert, who called for urgency to improve air quality.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.