Pull out your phone, book a trip, and within 10 minutes a van will pick you up and take you to a rail station, bus stop or other destination.

That’s the idea behind an upgrade to the Regional Transportation District’s Call-and-Ride service that agency officials introduced today at an event in Broomfield. Many FlexRide vehicles run like an Uber Pool or Lyft Line, picking up passengers where they are and taking them directly where they want to go. In some areas, the service follows a predetermined route that adjusts when people request a pickup.

“FlexRide … is RTD’s shared-ride bus service, available for anyone to connect to other RTD bus or train services,” says a blog post on the agency’s website. But the service goes beyond bridging first- and last-mile transit connections. “Riders can also use FlexRide to get direct access to schools, businesses or other amenities in communities without a fixed bus route.”

• Passengers who use the micro-transit service pay their usual RTD fare, which they can apply to transfers.

• FlexRide replaces RTD’s Call-and-Ride service, which required a phone call and an hour wait.
• Passengers can schedule regular pickups.
• As RTD replaces its green Call-and-Ride shuttles, passengers will notice white vans with a colorful graphic treatment that references the mountains.
• The service, which is available to everyone, compliments RTD’s Access-A-Ride service for people with disabilities.
• Bicycles and wheelchairs are allowed.
• Passengers can book rides on a mobile-friendly website: rtdcallnride.com/cnr-mobile, or continue to call ahead.