south max bus at west valley intermodal hub slogan your fast connection to trax citation needed parent utah transit authority uta founded july 14 2008 1 locale wasatch front utah united states routes 3500 south max 2 provo orem max under development 3 5600 west max planned 4 murray taylorsville max planned stops limited hubs millcreek trax station west valley intermodal hub fleet 10 van hool low floor buses daily ridership 4 100 average corridor weekday riders 3500 south max 5 fuel type diesel operator uta website rideuta.com max max note 1 is a bus rapid transit brt service operated by utah transit authority uta along the wasatch front in utah united states . it is described by uta as light rail on rubber tires . as of march 2013 there is only one line in service so far in salt lake county but several more are planned including one in utah county . 10 contents 1 description 2 max lines 2.1 current max lines 2.1.1 3500 south max 2.2 future max lines 2.2.1 provo orem max 2.2.2 5600 west max 2.2.3 murray taylorsville max 3 notes 4 references 5 external links description edit max has service improvements that differ from regular bus service such as transit signal priority tsp increased spacing between stops high frequency service and improved stops . 10 with few exceptions a max line has limited stops at max trax or frontrunner stations . note 2 whenever reasonably possible max operates along guideways dedicated lanes separated from regular traffic by curbs . the guideways are more than just a bus lane since all other traffic is prohibited from using the guideways including other uta buses . the first such guideway was built in west valley city on 3500 south from 3600 west to 2700 west . 5 another characteristic that distinguishes max from regular bus service is that it does not have a set schedule for all of its stops although there are estimated times for arrival . max leaves its first stop and travels as fast as legally and safely possible to the end of the line never waiting or stopping at stations except to drop off or pick up passengers . the unique buses used on the max lines are also larger wider and longer and feature wider isles and a distinctive exterior paint scheme which includes a large white x on each side of the bus . 10 the first max line 3500 south max opened on july 14 2008 . 1 10 the max bus shelter at the millcreek trax station another feature of max is that passengers may enter the unique buses by any of the three doors and do not have to show proof of fare upon boarding . although fare payment including the use bus tokens can be made at the farebox upon boarding the front of the max bus each max station has a ticket vending machine that accepts cash or credit cards . 11 12 note 3 however fares are enforced through random checks by uta transit police the same way as they are on streetcars trax and the frontrunner . 14 the fare for max is the same as for local bus service or trax and like trax and frontrunner tickets max tickets also serve as a transfer to other uta modes of transit . 10 15 max lines routes are designated by an m at the end of the route number for example 35m . 2 all of uta s trax and frontrunner trains and stations streetcars and streetcar stops and all fixed route buses are compliant with americans with disabilities act and are therefore accessible to those with disabilities . 16 however ada boarding on max s unique buses is at the center door rather than the front as is the case with regular bus service . in accordance with the utah clean air act and uta ordinance smoking is prohibited on uta vehicles as well as uta bus stops trax stations and frontrunner stations . 17 max lines edit current max lines edit bus routes are current as of change day april 13 2014 . 3500 south max edit the 3500 south max 2 line connects magna with the west valley central trax station in west valley city and the millcreek trax station in south salt lake traveling along a route of 10 miles 16 km on 3500 and 3300 south sr 171 . 18 it is the first of several brt lines that uta is planning in the salt lake valley and utah county . 19 costs for the project totaled 7 million ; a light rail extension along the same route would have cost 100 million . 19 original plans were to discontinue max service between the millcreek and west valley central trax stations once the west valley extension of the trax green line was completed . however even though the green line began service in august 2011 as of may 2014 service between the two trax stations still continues . 2 the 3500 south max runs monday through saturday no sunday service from about 6 00 am to midnight every fifteen minutes on weekdays and every half hour on saturdays . future max lines edit max lines are planned along 5600 west in salt lake county and along university parkway and university avenue in provo orem . studies for the feasibility of brt are also being conducted areas in the taylorsville murray area 4700 south and the holladay cottonwood heights area wasatch boulevard and other areas . brt lines are also being considered for davis county . 18 and along 5400 south 12600 south redwood road state street and highland drive . 20 in the coming years a total of 80 miles of brt lines are planned along the wasatch front . 5 on july 8 2014 davis county unanimously approved a resolution in support of a brt route connecting downtown salt lake city with bountiful . 21 provo orem max edit the provo orem max line will connect the orem intermodal center frontrunner station with utah valley university uvu brigham young university byu and the provo intermodal center frontrunner station along a route of approximately 11 miles 18 km . 22 the initial anticipated route phase i for the provo orem max will begin at the orem station and head east on university parkway sr 265 1300 south to pass by the south side of the uvu campus . after passing along the south side of the university mall it will head southeast toward provo and the junction of university parkway and university avenue us 189 . it will then connect with a stop on the southeast side of byu campus by continuing east along university parkway . it will then loop around the east side of byu campus on north 900 east before returning to and heading south along university avenue . 23 it will then stop at the provo station before passing by the provo towne centre mall making a loop through the east bay business park and finally retracing its route back to the orem intermodal center . 24 in phase ii the west end of the brt line will be rerouted directly east from the orem station along 800 south and connect with the uvu campus by way of a high occupancy toll hot interchange overpass . it will then pass by the north and east edges of uvu before reaching university parkway and continuing along the remainder of its original route . along with the reroute the single max station on the south side of the uvu campus will be replaced by three new stations along the east and north sides of campus . 25 5600 west max edit as part of the mountain view corridor project a brt line the 5600 west max will be built along 5600 west sr 172 sr 134 in salt lake county . this project has three phases . phase i will include brt service along 5600 west between 6200 south bennion boulevard in kearns and 2700 south in west valley city . upon reaching 2700 south it will then connect with downtown salt lake city including the via 2700 north bangerter highway 21st south freeway and i 15 . phase ii will extend brt service further south through west jordan to 11800 south in south jordan and further north to i 80 and the salt lake city international airport . this phase ii extension would also included connections with the airport 5600 w old bingham hwy south jordan parkway and daybreak parkway stations . however in phase iii it is anticipated that the entire 5600 west max will be replaced by a trax line along the same right of way . 4 murray taylorsville max edit the murray taylorsville max is a brt project that is anticipated to connect the murray city center with the murray central station and the main campus of salt lake community college slcc in taylorsville with nine stations along the way . the anticipated route will begin in the murray city center north of the intermountain medical center . it will then run west along vine street 5090 south to murray boulevard connecting with the murray central station along the way . it will then head roughly northwest to 4500 south sr 226 along the following streets murray boulevard murray taylorsville road 4800 south sunstone road and atherton drive . heading west along 4500 south in dedicated lanes it will then turn north along redwood road sr 68 until in reaches the slcc campus . the hope is depending on funding to have the murray taylorsville max completed by 2016 . 26 27 notes edit the meaning and origins of the name max have never been identified or specified by uta as it has in the case of trax which is a shortened version of transit express . 6 7 however the term max as a shortening of metropolitan or metro area express has been used in conjunction with bus rapid transit brt since june 2004 by the metropolitan area express in the las vegas valley in nevada 8 and since july 2005 by the metro area express in kansas city missouri 9 many stops or stations on a max line actually consist of two separate stations one for each direction of travel usually on opposite sides of the road and sometimes on opposite sides of an intersection . on sections of the line where max has dedicated travel lanes guideways the stations are located in the median of the road . although some of uta s ticket vending machines previously accepted bus tokens as payment as of september 1 2008 none of uta s ticket machines accept bus tokens . 13 references edit a b hollenhorst john july 14 2008 . uta launches max bus service . ksl.com . salt lake city deseret digital media . retrieved august 3 2013 . a b c d uta max . rideuta.com . utah transit authority . retrieved january 13 2013 . provo orem brt . rideuta.com . utah transit authority . retrieved march 10 2014 . a b 5600 west brt . rideuta.com . utah transit authority . retrieved march 25 2013 . a b c hancock laura april 6 2010 . uta bus rapid line running on 3500 south . deseret news . salt lake city deseret digital media . retrieved march 28 2013 . van eyck zack october 28 1997 . new names may put trax on the map . deseret news . salt lake city deseret digital media . retrieved march 28 2013 . utah transit authority s trax salt lake city light rail . utahrails.com . utah rails . march 3 1997 . retrieved march 28 2013 . rtc to celebrate 20 years of providing public transportation in our valley . rtcsnv.com . regional transportation commission of southern nevada . retrieved march 26 2013 . fact sheet max metro