The governing board of the Regional Transportation District on May 26 approved new fare policies designed to help simplify the way passengers pay for trips across RTD’s expanding transit system.
The RTD Board of Directors’ decision greenlights the public transit agency’s first fare increase in five years, and establishes a new fare structure for the first time in nearly a dozen years. The slight fare increases will help RTD meet its future budget needs and prevent service cuts.
For the past year and a half, RTD has been conducting a fare study with the intent of simplifying the fare structure and making it more equitable across the district. Extensive public input helped shape the fare structure. Throughout the process, RTD solicited public input and hosted over a dozen public meetings as well as 16 formal public hearings this spring to give the public numerous opportunities to provide feedback on proposed fare structure changes. Through these meetings and hearings, plus online comments, voice mails, emails and comment cards, RTD received over 1,000 comments regarding the proposed fare structure.
RTD’s new fare policies will take effect Jan. 1, before the agency introduces four new rail lines and a bus rapid transit (BRT) system along U.S. 36, all projects built under the ambitious, voter-approved FasTracks program.
RTD’s service area — one of the largest in the country — covers eight counties in the Denver metropolitan region, which comprises 2.8 million people.
Beginning next year, RTD’s new fare policies will include a new pay-per-boarding system offering passengers:
- A single-boarding $2.60 Local fare or, for the price of a round trip, a $5.20 Local Day Pass to make unlimited trips on Local bus and rail routes through the end of the service day.
- Regional bus and rail fares for $4.50 per boarding or $9 for a Regional Day Pass for unlimited Local and Regional trips, including those to and from Denver International Airport.
- Day Passes priced at the cost of a round trip—eliminating the need for paper transfers—and available for purchase from printers on buses or ticket-vending machines at train stations.
- An Airport fare of $9 – $4 lower than the current, highest SkyRide trip.
- Fewer light rail zones, allowing more rail passengers to travel on a Local fare.
- A zone-based system on bus routes, including the BRT corridor between Denver and Boulder.
In 2016, RTD also plans to phase in a tap-and-pay “smart card” system that will enable passengers to purchase and store fares electronically, and receive fare discounts as incentives to migrate away from paper and cash fares.
The Fare Study’s next phase will include staff assessments of the agency’s EcoPass, CollegePass and Nonprofit Reduced Fares programs.
RTD is also collaborating with a citizen-led Affordable Fares Task Force to identify funding sources for a proposed low-income pass program to expand upon the 3 million reduced fare or free trips RTD provides annually through its current reduced fare program.
