Traveling around Herriman and the South Valley is about to get much easier. In December, Herriman City made an exciting and long-anticipated announcement. 

“A bus route is coming to Herriman!” it said via Facebook. 

Last year, responding to stakeholder feedback, the Utah Transit Authority put forth possible new routes around Utah, including one called Route 126, which would serve the Herriman area on an hourly basis during weekdays. This new service is part of UTA’s April Change Day for 2025—one of three each year (April, August and December) during which the agency implements service changes. 

Herriman’s Mayor Lorin Palmer and many others helped determine the Herriman course using estimated ridership and data for transit vans already serving the city.

“The Utah Transit Authority has worked with the city, elected officials and other stakeholders around the community on a proposal for a new bus route,” City Communications Manager Jon LaFollette said. 

The route would connect the Daybreak and Draper Trax stations and is expected to begin running on April 13. “You'll start seeing bus stops pop up pretty quick here in the city,” Palmer said.

“Route 126 will be a new east-west service between the TRAX Red Line Daybreak Parkway Station in South Jordan and the TRAX Blue Line Draper Town Center Station via 12300/12600 South and 13400 South corridors with connections to Draper FrontRunner Station and Herriman SLCC/Real Academy,” UTA said. “UTA regularly reviews and adjusts our services… to ensure the system is working well for our riders and communities.” 

The route also covers the city hall area, including adjacent townhomes and apartments, and then continues to Redemption Bar and Grill and Sentinel Ridge Boulevard. “There's a lot of growth out there,” Palmer said. “This connects from Daybreak TRAX station all the way over to the FrontRunner station in Draper. It weaves through the city.” 

The bus line also runs the opposite way from Draper to Herriman. The city expects UTA to make adjustments to the route in the coming years as it collects ridership data. 

“We're grateful that UTA has decided to implement a bus line in our city. And while we hope for more bus lines in the future, this is a great start and something that's needed and appreciated,” LaFollette said.

During a comment period that closed Jan. 1, UTA accepted public input regarding the route in Herriman and other proposed bus lines. “The public has the chance [during a public comment period] to share how proposed changes may impact them and how UTA can support the community should any changes be approved,” the organization said on its website. 

Apart from public comment periods, UTA’s customer service department collects and tracks service requests. Herriman has posted all proposed routes on its social media platforms, and maps can also be found on UTA’s website.

The public review process was in compliance with Title VI and helped finalize and approve service changes before they are implemented. Title VI is a section of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and bars discrimination based on race, color or national origin within programs using federal funds. 

Still subject to change, the route is part of a five-year service plan adopted by UTA’s Board of Trustees in December. Additional changes based on research and community collaboration are planned for later this year and next year. 

Objectives for the five-year service plan include preparation for future service projects, implementation of community and stakeholder feedback, increased access and the restoration of service in areas where it had previously been decreased.

UTA has also begun the final phases of a new multi-phase fare system and fare capping program that aims to be simpler, more convenient, equitable, affordable and easier to understand. Multiple fare products will be eliminated, and customers will use pre-paid, reloadable accounts, electronic tap cards, bank cards and mobile phones.

For more information about the April Change Day for 2025, visit www.rideuta.com/Rider-Info/Change-Day/April-2025-Change-Day, and for more information about the five-year service plan, visit www.rideuta.com/Current-Projects/UTA-Five-Year-Service-Plan-2025-2029. λ