Park City Transit Marks 50 Years with Main Street Celebration

A small group of press, city representatives and staff boarded the Main Street Trolley on Wednesday morning for a short loop around Main Street to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Park City Transit. Transportation Director Tim Sanderson welcomed attendees and introduced Mayor Nann Worel as the trolley departed the Old Town Transit Center.

“Today is more than about an anniversary,” Worel said. “It’s about a decision that Park City made five decades ago that continues to shape how we connect, how we move around and how we care about our beautiful city.” As the trolley circled the core, the mayor framed the milestone as an affirmation of policy choices that prioritized people centered transportation over adding more cars to pavement. “The answer, even then, wasn’t putting more cars on pavement; it was people-centered transportation,” Worel said. “Choosing free public transit was a statement of values, access over congestion, community over convenience and long-term thinking over short-term fixes.”

Worel also used the gathering to acknowledge the workforce that keeps transit running. “I want to thank my heroes: our transit operators, mechanics, planners and support staff, because many of them have devoted decades to this system,” she said. City leaders noted that operators often serve as informal guides for visitors, reinforcing the system’s service role beyond simple mobility.

After the trolley ride attendees gathered at the Transit Center for coffee and doughnuts while Sanderson outlined near term projects. He highlighted Recreate 248, a city study to identify alternative transportation options for travel along S.R. 248 aimed at reducing congestion. The city is evaluating two potential modes, bus and rail, with an update expected in January.

Transit manager Bill DeGroot reviewed the system’s arc from early hotel shuttles in 1974 and the first fixed route in 1975 through federal grant milestones and the introduction of ADA buses in 1977. The system has grown to roughly 1.4 million riders per year since 2021 and has added real time bus tracking, electric buses and services that link Park City to regional transit networks.

For Summit County residents the anniversary is a reminder that transit policy affects daily life, from traffic on S.R. 248 to access for workers and visitors. For schedules and more on Park City Transit history visit the city website.