RTD Free MallRide shuttles converting to new, easy-to-clean, vinyl seats

DENVER (Jan. 24, 2024) — The Regional Transportation District (RTD) is transitioning the seats on its MallRide vehicles from fabric to vinyl. One of the 36 Free MallRide vehicles has been fitted with the new seats and is currently running on the MallRide route.

The entire fleet will be converted and the remainder of RTD’s bus fleet will be converted to vinyl through the normal attrition cycles. The new seats support agency efforts to create a welcoming transit environment and will enhance the overall customer experience. The new vinyl seats can be wiped down easily and take less time for employees to clean. The fabric seats fade, show stains and need replacement more often.

The design of the seat material is the same used to update the light rail seats. The dots symbolize the communities RTD connects across the system and RTD’s brand colors are represented in the pattern. The design was chosen last year by employees and was created by an in-house graphic designer.

“The MallRide vehicles were identified for initial retrofit among RTD’s bus fleet because of its heavy usage. The interior of these buses is heavily exposed to the effects of Colorado winter weather, including rain and snow,” said General Manager and CEO Debra A. Johnson. “While most RTD buses have one or two doors that open only when customers enter and exit, each of the vehicles in the MallRide fleet has three extra-wide doors that open at every block along the MallRide route. The upgrade these buses will receive benefits everyone, from the customers using the vehicles to the RTD team members who clean and maintain them.”

“The new vinyl material is heavy duty, lighter in color and, in my opinion, just as comfortable if not more so than the cloth material,” Fred Worthen, Assistant General Manager of Bus said. “Vinyl does not absorb liquids; thus, it is very apparent when a seat is wet. It matches the interior better, giving a brighter and more fluid appearance to the interior of the bus. It is also lower maintenance, allowing us to dedicate more time to full interior cleanings rather than having to strictly clean seats every 3,000 miles.”

In 2017, 36 Free MallRide zero emission, fully electric battery-operated vehicles were introduced with three doors, 18 seats, two wheelchair spaces, and capacity for 88 customers. Vehicles have heat and air conditioning.

The Free MallRide first began running along the 16th Street Mall in 1984. In April 2022, RTD began detouring its Free MallRide service around construction associated with Denver's large-scale renovation of the 16th Street Mall – Denver’s first major upgrade in nearly 40 years to the mall. The work, managed by Denver’s Department of Transportation and Infrastructure (DOTI), will remove curbs and move transit lanes to the center of each block; add more trees; and create wider pedestrian walkways and new amenity zones for leisure, commerce, entertainment and tourism.

Construction on the 16th Street Mall is expected to be completed in fall 2025. RTD’s Free MallRide shuttle has been detouring around the construction onto 15th and 17th streets to ensure service continues in the area.