Students enrolled in at least one class at Weber State University are eligible for a Utah Transit Authority EdPass, which offers students free access to buses, TRAX, FrontRunner and the S-Line.

During the Sept. 1 Block Party, students who register, renew or present their EdPass at the UTA booth in the Shepherd Union building will have their name entered into a drawing for prizes including a $50 Amazon gift card and a $200 Amazon gift card.

Tami Merrill, a freshman at Weber State, is a frequent user of the transit system who encourages other students to ride with UTA.

“I haven’t had to drive to the Weber State campus once,” said Merrill, “so parking really isn’t an issue for me.”

The deal between WSU and UTA came about after the passage of Proposition 1 in 2015, in which 10 out of 17 Utah counties voted in favor of using a quarter-of-one percent of sales tax to fund local transportation. This included roads, sidewalks, trails, buses and rail services.

Weber County was one of the 10 counties that voted in favor for Prop. 1. Because of it, the Mount Ogden Business Unit was created to increase service and construct improvements throughout Weber County.

The additional funding from Prop. 1 also gave way to bus 650, which Dan Baerga, an intern at UTA, calls the Wildcat Express. This shuttle provides a non-stop ride from the Ogden FrontRunner Station all the way to campus.

“It’s great for students who want to avoid the hassle of finding parking to instead leave their car at the Park-and-Ride and bus a few minutes up to campus,” Baerga said.

Students who don’t sign up during the first week of school have the option throughout the entire year through their eWeber portal by searching “UTA EdPass” and filling out the terms and service agreement. Passes are available for pick up at the Shepherd Union Information Center or at the Davis Center Student Services located in building D2 on the Davis campus.

Passengers can access travel information on the UTA website, mobile application or phone service.