RTD

Service cuts look likely to match the agency's capacity with its commitments to riders.

State legislators rejected a bill Thursday that would fund discount RTD passes for Coloradans who cannot afford the standard fare. The bill can still be brought up during the 2018 legislative session but this preliminary vote bodes poorly for its chances.

It'll be a little easier to ride the bus and train starting today now that RTD has launched mobile ticketing — electronic fares that you can buy and validate with a smartphone or tablet.

People under 19 would be able to ride the RTD system for 70 percent off the standard fare if a proposal from the Pass Program Working Group becomes reality, and depending on the final recommendations, kids under 12 could ride for free.

RTD is wedged between a rock and a hard place. The rock? Serving the most people possible on a tight budget. The hard place? Appeasing suburban officials, who don't want rail service cut on extremely poor-performing rail lines.

GOP lawmakers are trying to turn a common sense fix into a political issue.

In the past the survey has revealed cringe-worthy truths. These aren't fixed demographics to shrug at — they're red flags to wave in the face of decision-makers.

The spending plan proposed by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment aims to curb pollution by outfitting transit agencies and school districts with electric and "alternative fuel" buses. Front Range transit agencies — including RTD — stand to see the bulk of the windfall because they operate in high-traffic areas most negatively affected by the scandal.

Special events like Broncos games regularly stretch the system beyond its means.