SALT LAKE CITY — Utah ski resorts are packed to the brim with skiers and snowboarders and so are the Utah Transit Authority ski buses that head up the canyons. Staffing shortages are causing delays to ski bus services.

Before December 11, buses would cycle up to the resorts every 15 minutes but now some passengers are waiting hours to get up the mountains.

UTA ski buses are now arriving every half-hour and they often have no open seats.

UTA spokesperson Carl Arky says the delay is due to staffing shortages

“There were changes made out of necessity. Because of the operator shortage. We don’t have enough resources. We don’t have enough bus operators.”

UTA said that until they can hire and train enough drivers, the packed bus is here to stay.

But, Arky said, they’re hoping to increase bus frequency soon

“We would like to offer more service and provide it on a more frequent basis than we are now. And we will get back to that at some point in time.”

The UTA driver shortage is system-wide and affects more than just the ski bus schedules.

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