Moab-Arches shuttle logged 2,593 boardings in its first month

The Moab-Arches shuttle recorded 2,593 boardings in September, about 86 a day, in the first month of a roughly $3 million pilot that replaced timed entry at Arches National Park, according to Grand County figures reported by The Times-Independent and The Salt Lake Tribune. The counts include repeat rides and transfers rather than unique passengers. ^[1] The Park Service announced in February that Arches would not require timed-entry reservations in 2026 and that visitors could enter at any time during operating hours. ^[3]

The free service began Sept. 1 and connects Moab with the Arches Visitor Center, where riders transfer to an in-park route serving the Delicate Arch trailhead and the Windows. Pickups are every 30 minutes on the Moab route and every 15 minutes inside the park. The shuttle is optional, does not serve Devils Garden, and visitors can still drive. A valid park pass is required. ^[1] The Park Service says the shuttle runs seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. through Oct. 31 and that rides are free with a valid park pass. ^[2]

Passengers interviewed Oct. 15 described waits ranging from about 10 minutes to nearly an hour for one tour group, which said a scheduled 9:15 a.m. shuttle had not arrived. Via, the contractor, said its system recorded an arrival and a 9:22 a.m. departure. Funding is $1.5 million from the National Park Service, $1 million from the Utah Department of Transportation and $500,000 from Grand County. ^[1]

Fall service ends Oct. 31, and spring service is scheduled for March 1 through June 30. County spokesperson Melisa Jeffers said a Nov. 16 review will inform routes, stops, frequency and staffing. Whether the shuttle continues after the pilot, and how it would be paid for, has not been decided. ^[1]