In the sprawling desert landscape of southwest Utah, life without a car is, if you’ll pardon the pun, full of roadblocks.
The St. George bus system, SunTran, doesn’t reach large swaths of the city, with just one stop south of the Virgin River. For people in those neighborhoods who don’t have a car, such as Vanessa Miller, everyday tasks quickly become frustrating and expensive.
“I can't get to work. I can't get to probation. I spend almost $250 a week trying to get everywhere I need to go.”
That money goes to rideshare apps, she said, when it could go toward saving for a car.
“I pay my rent, pay my bills, I eat, and then I pay the Ubers,” Miller said. “I just want to be able to have my own vehicle and to be able to succeed in life.”
Elaina Pitchford recently moved to St. George as a way to get closer to family and medical care. With the nearest bus stop two miles from her home, however, it’s been a struggle for her to get anywhere.
“I've got six grandsons and a great-granddaughter … and I can't even go see them because there's no bus system.”
Pitchford and Miller raised their concerns at an Aug. 28 public transit town hall in St. George. The meeting was the latest step in an ongoing effort dubbed The Committee for Public Transit in the 435, which is organized by the advocacy group United Today Stronger Tomorrow. The goal is to bring together people who care about transit issues in communities outside of the Wasatch Front and to push local leaders to invest in more transportation options for Utah’s rural areas.
Beyond expanding bus service, some residents also want to see St. George make it safer and easier for people to get around without a car by choice.
Judith Rognli, of Conserve Southwest Utah, moved downtown specifically because it would allow her to access more places on her bike. After seven years of car-free life, however, her family gave in and bought a vehicle earlier this year.
“It was just not feasible anymore,” she said. “It takes so much time and dedication here that even the most dedicated at some point are like, ‘OK, this is just too difficult.’”
Thinking about active transportation — the way people move around without cars — is a vital element in planning a city that works for everyone, she said. For instance, St. George’s paved trail system provides many miles of protected biking space, but it often doesn’t connect with shops and businesses. To her, that’s a missed opportunity.
“It is about connecting the dots … and really thinking about people who walk and people who bike and people who use wheelchairs or other mobility aids,” Rognli said. “I think if we started doing that, we could make a big difference.”
St. George has been one of the nation’s fastest-growing cities in recent years. Washington County’s population has nearly doubled over the past two decades, from 104,317 residents in 2003 to 202,452 in 2023. That’s led to plenty of concerns about traffic and road infrastructure as new residents bring in more vehicles.
The idea of enhancing public transportation in southwest Utah seems to be gaining some traction. St. George City Council Member Steve Kemp, who attended the town hall, said in order to grow transit, the city needs the county and neighboring communities to pitch in.
“It boils down to money. The bottom line is: You have dollars, then you can buy new buses and you can put in new routes. … So it's just a function of funding.”
And at least one upcoming regional transit development might offer some help.
St. George is launching a new regional bus line that would connect the city with neighboring towns Washington, Hurricane and La Verkin on its way to Zion National Park. That route is planned to have a stop near the county’s Department of Motor Vehicles and the local probation and parole office.
Southwest Utah’s Five County Association of Governments is also conducting its first online survey specifically focused on better understanding the area’s transit needs. The association wants to gather feedback about challenges facing older Utahns and people in rural areas, said Mobility Manager Scott Buys.
“We already know there's gaps, and … the reality is it's a challenge to try to improve those services. But again, there's some good dialog going on.”
The survey began in May and will remain open until November. The plan is to use the results to pinpoint where local governments should invest time and money in future transit projects.
“It's hopefully going to provide some information that will give specific recommendations on how we can potentially improve those rural services — or lack thereof — to better meet the needs of those people.”
