UTA electric buses will track the quality of the air

Salt Lake City, Utah — Some buses in the Salt Lake Valley will be tracking the quality of the air.

On Friday afternoon in West Valley City, officials with Salt Lake County, Utah Transit Authority, and the University of Utah unveiled a new system in which electric buses – outfitted with air quality monitors – will gather real-time data on air quality along two routes in the county.

“We’re going to put some monitors on top of these buses – non-polluting buses – and see what the data tells us,” said Salt Lake County Mayor Jenny Wilson. “That data will be a source of information for me at Salt Lake County as we look at where we will spend your public dollar to move the needle.”

According to Wilson and other officials, they will use the data gathered by the buses to understand which communities are at greater risk of breathing bad air, thereby helping them decide what to do about it.

The monitoring system is paid for from a number of sources including the University of Utah, UTA, Salt Lake County, Rocky Mountain Power, and the Utah Legislature.

According to officials, the goal is to scale the project later to create a detailed mapping system to identify pollution.

“Riding UTA can play a significant role in reducing pollution and improving air quality,” said Carlton Christensen, chair of the UTA Board of Trustees. “Air monitors installed on TRAX provided valuable data in this effort, and we’re excited to be part of innovative approaches to help address critical public health challenges.”

During the project’s the public will be able to view the air quality data from the bus monitors online.