N Line conductor shares story of customer’s experience with Zero Fare for Youth

Making lives better through connections is what RTD does, and N Line train conductor and instructor Walter Palmgren learned firsthand from a customer just how beneficial the Zero Fare for Youth initiative has been.

In an email to RTD General Manager and CEO Debra A. Johnson on June 14, Palmgren shared his conversation with a mother who said the program has been a major help during a time of financial instability in her family’s life:

"Since the beginning of the year, I have had so many passengers express how pleased they are with the new fare structure and how much of a positive impact it has had with them, and how much they appreciate Zero Fare for Youth," Palmgren told Johnson. "Tonight was beyond that.”

"I had a passenger, a mother with her daughter, ask me about the program and how long it will remain in effect. I was only able to let her know that it was supposed to conclude at the end of August, unless it is extended further. With a tear in her eye, albeit a happy tear, she expressed sincere gratitude to RTD for the no cost fare for her daughter. Times have been tough and she had been dealing with some financial struggle. She said, ‘For me, the free fare has been a godsend.’ She told me that she hopes the program will continue since it has been so helpful to her and her daughter in these difficult financial times.

“RTD has impacted many and has truly made lives better through the connections we make with our passengers, with the improved fare structure and the zero youth fares. This is just one example of how we have been able to help our passengers, the public we serve.

“I am sure that for some, Zero Fare for Youth could mean the difference between being able to afford lunch for a child or forgoing lunch to pay for bus fare.

"As an employee that has direct contact with our passengers, and that has the blessed opportunity to engage with them every day, I am able to have stories such as this one.”