Photo of the Free MallRide bus driving down 16th Street Mall
Bus

RTD bus operator training begins Monday on the 16th Street Mall between Wazee and Curtis streets

Tara Broghammer

RTD will begin training Free MallRide operators on Monday, Sept. 16, on the completed portion of the 16th Street Mall between Wazee and Curtis streets. The training will familiarize bus operators with the new center-running transitway ahead of the bus service returning to a portion of the 16th Street Mall in mid-October.

Operator training will take place 6 a.m.-2 p.m. through the end of September, and 10 a.m.-6 p.m. for approximately two weeks in October. Signs will be posted on the Free MallRide shuttles indicating that the vehicles are training operators and not in service. Approximately four shuttles will be operating in both directions each day between Wazee and Curtis streets. Pedestrians are encouraged to be cautious and look both ways while crossing the transitway.

RTD Free MallRide will continue to provide service to customers on 15th and 17th streets between, Union Station and Civic Center Station, while operator training is underway.

In mid-October, the Free MallRide will begin operating on the 16th Street Mall from Denver Union Station to Curtis Street, and on 15th and 17th streets between Curtis Street and Civic Center Station. MallRide service is anticipated to remain in this configuration from mid-October until the project is completed in 2025.

By Tara Broghammer