Transit agency’s board considers initial recommendations from long-anticipated fare and equity study
By Jon Murray, the Denver Post
The Regional Transportation District should lower all fares, nearly eliminate its regional zone map and drastically reduce the cost of monthly passes, according to the latest recommendations from an intensive systemwide study.
The new draft outline, unveiled late last week, amounts to the most concrete proposal yet to emerge from the fare study, initiated by RTD leaders in 2021. The study’s mandate was to simplify RTD’s fare structure and reduce riders’ costs, which are at the upper end among U.S. transit agencies, especially for longer trips.
Final approval of a new fare structure by the metro Denver transit agency’s board likely is still months away. Under the current version, major changes include:
- The 3-hour local fare would drop from $3 to $2.75, with a day pass costing $5.50 instead of $6 — and both would apply to all trips within RTD’s service area, except those serving Denver International Airport.
- The current “regional” fare would be eliminated, while a trip to or from DIA, including on the A-Line, would cost $10, down from $10.50 now.
- A consolidated monthly fare pass would cost $88, which is lower than the sticker price for RTD’s current local, regional and airport passes. It would be good for any bus or train trips. That includes trips to the airport, which currently are covered by a $200 monthly pass — long a sore point for thousands of airport workers who rely on RTD.
- The agency would expand eligibility for its low-income discount program.