​​​​​​Page last updated: May 21, 2020

Policy and Service Updates

  • Through June 15, all essential business and critical government workers are required to wear face coverings while at work.
  • Effective May 6, all people over the age of 3 waiting to or riding public transportation in the City and County of Denver must wear face coverings. 
  • As of April 30, RTD has received 6,510 face coverings, masks, and shields. Thank you to those who have donated.
  • Effective April 24: RTD asks all riders to wear a face covering and requires all bus, rail operators to do the same.
    • In accordance with Gov. Jared Polis’s recent order that everyone wear a mask or face covering when out in public, RTD is calling on its riders to take responsibility for the safety of themselves and others by wearing a mask or face covering. All the agency’s bus and rail operators are required to do the same. 
    • RTD’s policy directs employees to wear face coverings at all times when in hallways, walkways and common areas at RTD facilities, and anytime a distance of 6 feet from other people cannot be maintained. Employees are being asked to continue to limit close social interaction with others. The agency has several variations of face coverings available for employees and is now in a position to offer cloth face coverings to employees who need one. Employees may continue to wear their own homemade or purchased face covering should they choose to do so. 
    • To ensure the safety of employees and passengers, RTD continues to follow the provisions of the Guidelines for Public Transportation Providers issued by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE). RTD continues to modify operations and practices as needed in an effort to keep employees and the public safe in the dynamic circumstances brought on by COVID-19.
  • Effective April 19: The COVID-19 Service Plan went into effect.
  • Effective April 14: The agency has implemented several steps to encourage social distancing to keep employees and passengers safe. Now RTD will work to minimize the number of riders on its buses and trains.
    • Limit capacity to approximately 15 passengers per bus and 20 on larger buses
    • Authorize operators to bypass stops and call for backup if they do not believe social distancing (6 foot spacing) can be maintained. (it originally said “when limit is reached”)
    • Add additional buses on most popular routes and stage buses in those areas as available
    • Limit capacity to approximately 30 on rail cars – using additional train cars on popular lines  
  • Effective April 5: Fare collection is suspended at this time on all services. For buses, please board from the rear door until further notice, unless you require ADA assistance. As a reminder, please respect social distancing and keep at least 6’ apart.
  • Effective March 30: Food Delivery service is available to Access-a-Ride customers. You are still able to book trips for essential purposes, including to purchase groceries. However, beginning March 30, we will offer grocery pickup to your home from the following locations:· King Soopers · Safeway · Community Ministry Southwest food bank · Senior Hub Senior Solutions · Adams County Food Bank.  You must call or go online to set up your order and pickup time yourself.  Visit Access-a-Ride for more information.
  • Effective March 27: Until further notice, RTD is temporarily suspending the $10 replacement fee for EcoPass to minimize the need to go in person to one of our sales outlets. New and replacement orders may be placed via the smart card web portal.  As a reminder, it can take 7-10 days to process the order and the passes will be mailed to the address we have on file. Our sales outlets continue to remain open during this time if you find you need a replacement pass sooner. An authorization form is still required if going in person.
  • Effective March 24: In an effort to combat COVID-19, the RTD Board of Directors has approved a reduced service plan that will go into effect April 19, 2020. The draft plan will be available soon. The intent is to run the COVID-19 Service Plan only as long as necessary, and eventually build service to the May Service Plan. RTD’s commuter rail lines -- University of Colorado A Line, B Line and G Line -- will continue to run at current service levels, because they are operated by Denver Transit Partners, a private concessionaire. Read the full News Release here.
  • Effective March 24: following Mayor Hancock's stay at home order, Access-a-Ride eligibility assessments will be canceled until the order is lifted, currently April 10, 2020.  Customers expecting to participate in re-certification assessments will have their service extended 90 days from their scheduled assessment dates and at their current eligibility status. New applicants for service will be provided with presumptive eligibility until the time that they are able to come in for an assessment, which will be scheduled as soon as possible once the order is lifted.

Resources

Recognizing Those Who Help

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We sincerely thank the individuals, and companies, that have gone above and beyond during this time by donating face masks, coverings, and shields to our essential staff. We thank you for your support!

  • Cohen Family donated 50 handmade face coverings
  • Izmirian Family donated 50 handmade face coverings
  • Jacoby Family and Sara Geist donated 100 homemade face coverings
  • Nick Wetzel donated 10 homemade face coverings
  • Julie Kuenstler donated 20 homemade face coverings
  • Marge Harper and Eliza Schultz donated 40 homemade face coverings
  • RTD Director Natalie Menten delivered nearly 1,700 homemade face coverings
  • BYD Care donated 1,000 disposable surgical masks
  • Yeti Cycles via Mile High Connects donated 2,000 disposable surgical masks and 240 face shields
  • Chinese American Association for Rocky Mountain Region donated 1,000 disposable surgical masks
  • Redline Contemporary Arts Center via Mile High Connects donated 300 washable masks

What We're Doing

  • Our Operations staff have been working on producing a bus operator barrier to protect operators while they’re working. A prototype of the shields have been designed and fabricated in-house. Materials are being ordered to fabricate the barriers for the whole bus fleet, including buses used by our contractors. It will take some months to complete the installation on all buses, but the process will begin. New buses received through our bus order with Gillig will include barriers.
  • RTD has an updated pandemic plan that will be implemented as necessary as the pandemic situation evolves.
  • Due to the limited supply of available face coverings for sale, RTD’s upholstery shop is now making them. These masks are tied rather than having rubber bands, or elastic, due to shortages of those products. A few hundred have been made for mechanics already.
  • We are asking our drivers and our customers to the strongest extent practicable to comply with the Governor’s executive order and wear masks on the RTD system.
  • Bus and rail vehicles are cleaned daily, including wiping down handrails and other high-touch surfaces with an industrial-strength disinfectant/antibacterial cleaner.
  • RTD is purchasing additional sanitation products and disinfectants, including electrostatic cleaning devices.
  • We are encouraging staff not to come to work if they develop respiratory symptoms accompanied by a fever.
  • Employees can expect to be asked a series of questions regarding their illness to better ascertain the extent of illness to ensure the wellbeing of all employees.
  • Employees are encouraged to keep their work stations/areas clean by wiping down surfaces, phones, keyboards, headsets, handles, steering wheels, etc. with disinfectant or sanitizing wipes (Clorox, Lysol, etc.).
  • RTD is working with transit agency peers to share lessons learned and best practices.
  • We are closely following updates from the World Health Organization, Centers for Disease Control, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment and the Denver Office of Emergency Management to ensure an appropriate response to the coronavirus.
  • The CDC is reviewing its face-mask guidelines and RTD will continue following all recommendations put forth by the organization. Employees are currently allowed to wear masks if they choose. Over 1,000 N95 respirator masks have been distributed and an additional 5,500 masks are expected to arrive at the end of April.
  • Effective March 12: Transit Security Officers (TSOs) will be conducting visual fare inspections until the spread of COVID-19 becomes controlled. If TSOs encounter individuals without proper visual fare, fare evasion enforcement will take place.  
  • Effective March 16: Out of an abundance of caution, we are implementing a No Visitor policy at our RTD facilities. This is being done to ensure we are following CDC recommendations for social distancing and mitigating the spread of the virus.  RTD sales outlets are still open for business.
  • Effective March 19: Access-a-Ride will suspend 5-day advanced bookings, allowing customers to book next day trips only. All standing orders from Friday, March 20, will be canceled. Customers can call 303-292-6560 to book trips if still required. This change will remain in place until Governor Polis lifts the State of Emergency.
  • RTD is committed to providing service to its customers, many of whom are transit-dependent. We also recognize the importance of continuing to serve healthcare workers and other professionals whose work is critical in fighting this disease.

Service Updates

  • A service reduction plan went into effect on April 19. View the COVID-19 Service Plan.  
  • Public transportation has been deemed a critical service by Governor Jared Polis in his executive order for non-essential businesses to reduce in-person workforce by 50 percent.   
  • RTD provides crucial connections for many essential workers throughout the Denver metro area. RTD staff will continue to monitor operations, be nimble and adjust as necessary.  
  • While there has been a large drop in ridership during the COVID-19 crisis, RTD’s buses, trains and paratransit services remain a vital lifeline for essential commuters, health care workers, public safety employees, government employees, grocery store workers and others continuing operations across the metro region. RTD continues to serve people who must work or take care of others, and for whom other transportation options are severely limited.   

Ridership

  • RTD estimates that ridership on its system has dropped about 60% through March 18 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, based upon informal counts by staff across the transit system, and is now providing about 139,000 trips each weekday, compared with 347,800 weekday trips one year ago.  
  • The agency is working to quantify the effects the pandemic is having on its ridership and solidify actual ridership figures. For comparison, transit agencies across the United States have reported that they are experiencing a drop in ridership ranging from 45-80%. 
  • RTD is committed to providing service to its customers, many of whom are transit-dependent. We also recognize the importance of continuing to serve healthcare workers and other professionals whose work is critical in fighting this disease. 

FlexPass Refunds

  • RTD’s existing no-refund policy remains in effect at this time. We don't yet know the full impact of the pandemic to RTD’s operations, but as we move forward, we continue to focus on safely move our riders. Currently, all RTD services are operating to help riders with essential travel needs. 
  • RTD is monitoring its COVID-19 financial impact so we can apply to receive federal-funding assistance to mitigate our financial challenges. At this point, we are unable to commit to refunds. 

Board Meetings

  • Starting March 23 and until otherwise noted, all official meetings of RTD’s Board of Directors will be conducted remotely, in the interest of public health, safety and welfare. 
  • All items – including committee meeting agendas, minutes and full-text transcripts from past meetings – will continue to be posted on the Board of Directors webpage on the RTD website, under “Board Meeting Resources.” 
  • All meetings will remain open to the public. To listen in, call 855-962-1128 (no passcode is required). 
  • The public will continue to be able to address the Board at its monthly meetings. Callers interested in doing so should dial *3 once connected, placing public speakers in a queue and allowing the Chair to call on them in turn.  
  • The Board’s Operations & Customer Service committee approved this change at its March 10 meeting. To hear Board of Directors Chair Angie Rivera-Malpiede discuss the decision, click here. 

Paratransit Service

  • Paratransit vehicles are being cleaned and disinfected daily in accordance with RTD’s Pandemic Plan. 
  • We continue to work through plans to assure our customers, drivers and support staff remain safe during this difficult period.  
  • No service reductions to paratransit services have occurred at present; however, the number of trips has continually dropped as facilities who are primary consumers for paratransit services have closed.  
  • All paratransit service trip speeds have been slowed to retain drivers for available capacity, to provide increased social distancing during trip delivery and to allow greater standby driver capacity in anticipation of driver call-offs as more employees need to care for their families.  
  • Customers can normally book appeals to their eligibility determination should they disagree with the outcome of their functional assessment. Due to the closure of Blake Street to non-employees, we are not able to have in-person appeals and are providing these customers with Unconditional Presumptive Eligibility until normal operations resume.

Bus Maintenance/Cleaning Procedures

  • Using a proper concentration mix of disinfectant, the following is cleaned daily on RTD buses:
    • Floors
    • Stanchions
    • Hand railings and hand straps
    • Doors and handles
    • Backs of doors
    • Step wells
    • Walls
    • Ceilings
    • Lights and fixtures
    • All glass is cleaned with glass cleaner
    • Operator’s cab (including steering wheel and operator controls) 
  • If the disinfectant supply runs low, all facilities have chlorine bleach available to make a solution as guided by the CDC to disinfect buses.
  • RTD’s Bus Maintenance cleaning team consists of 65 employees with eight vacancies. Employees are spread out over three operating divisions (Boulder, East Metro & Platte) and District Shops, and cover three shifts.
  • The Boulder operating division is closed on Sundays, our District Shops location is closed on the weekends and both Platte and East Metro operating divisions operate 24/7.

Light Rail Maintenance/Cleaning Procedures

  • Using a proper concentration mix of disinfectant, the following is cleaned daily on RTD light rail vehicles:
    • Mop floors
    • Step wells
    • ADA ramp
    • Stanchions
    • Hand Railings
    • Hand straps
    • Doors and handles
    • Backs of doors
    • Walls, side walls, bulkhead walls
    • Ceilings
    • Lights and fixtures
    • Articulating section
    • Overhead panels
    • Cab door
    • Operator’s cab
    • All glass is cleaned with glass cleaner
    • Seats are vacuumed and cleaned as necessary
  • If the disinfectant supply runs low, all facilities have chlorine bleach available to make a solution as guided by the CDC to disinfect light rail vehicles.
  • RTD’s Light Rail Maintenance cleaning team consists of 35 employees divided into three shifts. 

Denver Transit Operators (Commuter Rail)

  • The safety of the traveling public remains a priority for DTO.
  • Currently, DTO is performing daily vehicle cleanings, including disinfecting high-touch surfaces, which is part of a regularly scheduled maintenance component.
  • DTO is deploying an electrostatic sprayer to clean and sterilize trains during after-hours servicing.
  • DTO staff is working closely with suppliers, fabricators and subcontractors to ensure that the operations of the A, B and G lines are not impacted. However, the state of Colorado can enforce a change in service at any time, should they deem it necessary. 
  • DTO is continually monitoring the situation and is prepared to partner with community agencies as requested.

Facility Closures

  • Patrons inside Civic Center Station and the Union Station bus concourse should board the first available bus to their destination and limit the time they spend to no more than 10 minutes prior to the departure of their bus.
  • This is a temporary modification to the existing code of conduct that allows passengers to wait up to two hours for their bus.
  • This change is being made in the interest of public health and safety, and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendations on social distancing and public gatherings.
  • The agency is also restricting public access to other RTD buildings, including its headquarters, according to public health guidelines.
  • RTD customers in need of new or replacement special discount cards can download an application and follow instructions provided through this webpage, which details all discounted fare programs. For questions about special discounts, please call 303-299-2667.

Personal Hygiene Tips

Proper Hand Washing

Washing your hands is one of the most effective ways to prevent the spread of germs. Follow these five steps every time:

  1. Wet your hands with clean, running water (warm or cold), turn off the tap, and apply soap.
  2. Lather your hands by rubbing them together with the soap. Lather the backs of your hands, between your fingers, and under your nails.
  3. Scrub your hands for at least 20 seconds. Need a timer? Hum the “Happy Birthday” song from beginning to end twice.
  4. Rinse your hands well under clean, running water.
  5. Dry your hands using a clean towel or air dry them.
     

Keep Yourself Safe in Public Settings

  • Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
  • Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash. If you don’t have a tissue, cough or sneeze into your upper sleeve, not your hands.
  • Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
  • Stay home when you are sick.
  • Clean and disinfect surfaces frequently touched at work and home.
  • Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol.