Information about UTA Education Program

Valued Educators, 

I am writing to inform you of changes that will take place to the UTA Safety and Education Program for the 2019-2020 school year and moving forward. Since November 2018, small changes have been in place to test the current program’s effectiveness for students. Our number one priority is the students’ safety while riding UTA, followed by their education and enthusiasm regarding transit. The changes made in our program moving forward will reflect those priorities. 

Many teachers and administrators have worked with us in order to provide their students with wristbands for field trips. These wristbands allow students to ride our system for one round trip to the teacher’s or school’s destination of choice. These wristbands have been a great way to introduce students to transit and alternative ways to travel through the state. We will continue to provide wristbands for the student’s use, but the way to receive them will now be more streamlined. 

A 30-45 minute presentation will now be required before a group receives wristbands to use on a field trip. These presentations will be available every Wednesday between 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. You can schedule a presentation at this link: http://rideuta.com/About-UTA/Community-Relations-and-Transit-Education/Presentations. These presentations can be done with a minimum of one grade in attendance and up to an entire school in the form of an assembly. At the presentation, one wristband for each student in attendance will be given to the teachers for use throughout the school year. If several teachers at your school use the wristbands throughout the year, please consider scheduling a school-wide assembly with us. 

These presentations will be entertaining, educational, and energetic. Students will learn about how transit can be a positive tool in their lives, allowing them to reach their destinations and their goals in sustainable ways. While the presentations are a prerequisite to the field trips, they are not solely focused on getting your students prepared for the field trip, but are based on a broader vision of encouraging students to use transit in their lives. 

Once the wristbands are received after a presentation, teachers or administrators can schedule their field trip through our website at this link: . http://rideuta.com/About-UTA/Community-Relations-and-Transit-Education/Schedule-a-Field-Trip Scheduling a field trip through this link will alert our operations of the field trip and allow them to prepare for your students’ arrival. This is a pivotal part of the process of preparing for field trips, so please be sure to follow through with this step as you plan your field trip. 

Please note that if our representatives are unable to travel to your school due to the distance from our offices in Salt Lake City, we will send a video of the presentation, along with wristbands, to be shown to your students. This will help us reduce travel times and costs while still providing your students with quality transit education and materials. 

We are looking forward to working with you and your students further throughout the upcoming school year. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at . saramburu@rideuta.com 

Thank you, 

Samantha Aramburu Community Relations Specialist, Utah Transit Authority

Letter to Educators