By Jon Murray, the Denver Post
Jesse Hill can’t drive because of a sight impairment, so he’s long relied on family members to get around his Montbello neighborhood.
But now an easy ride is an app request or phone call away. When a van from the Denver Connector, an on-demand microtransit service, pulled up in front of Hill’s house on a recent Friday morning, he greeted driver Deloris Jones: “Hey hey! How are you doing today?” She whisked him to Planet Fitness for a workout, free of charge.
“I just started using it — my daughter turned me on to it,” said Hill, 56, during the six-minute ride. “It’s pretty convenient. I just go the gym (so far). It’s quick and easy … and the drivers make you feel comfortable.”
Denver’s transportation department launched the point-to-point weekday service in mid-October 2021. City officials’ initial hope was simple: to bridge transit gaps within an outlying part of the city where homes on winding streets are a good trek from grocery stores, community centers, rail stations and other vital services.
In its first year, the Montbello Connector took off, with monthly ridership reaching 5,201 passengers in November, according to city data. The city and its partners recently added Gateway to the original service area and, in mid-November, launched a second Denver Connector service — this time focused on Globeville and Elyria-Swansea, similarly disconnected neighborhoods located north of downtown.
Read the full story at The Denver Post