BroncosRide And An Airport Bus: The Top 5 Things To Watch At Tuesday's RTD Board Meeting

The RTD board of directors meets in Denver Tuesday night, and we will get the answers to several questions Thompson's Colorado has explored in the committee meetings leading up to this. Will Longmont get the airport bus? Are fares going to increase? What service reduction proposal will the agency move forward with?

RTD is facing a $200 million shortfall, that appears cannot be fixed with both service cuts and fare increases alone. Tuesday's meeting will provide a full glimpse behind where board members stand on how to deal with the agency's financial challenges.

1. September Service Changes and Route AL Approval (Items XVII.B & XVII.C)

After more than 250 rousing public comments in support, the full board will vote on whether to add the Route AL service from 8th and Coffman in Longmont to DIA via Lafayette. When I covered the Colorado Connector meeting in Longmont last Thursday, everyone in the room cheered when Director Karen Benker spoke about RTD's challenges and adding the "SkyRide" service. This new bus would leave Longmont hourly from 6 a.m. - 10 p.m.

Another important service change to note is the route split of the former Route 20 through central Denver. This would be split into two routes, Route 20 and 23 - with both ending at Union Station. Attachment A of the service change proposals also includes adjustments to Denver routes to ratchet down early morning and late night trips. Some of these changes would require a formal Title VI equity analysis.

2. Direction on 2027 Service Cut Scenarios (XVII.G)

RTD's finance committee met July 14 and the Operations, Safety and Security committee met on July 15. Both of those meetings presented a conflicting vision for how the agency should move forward with service cuts. Going into those committee meetings, RTD staff had modeled 5-20% service reductions. In Longmont, some of those scenarios eliminated the express commuter buses that serve Denver, LD and LX. Those proposals also included potential measures like eliminating B line service, restructuring or eliminating the R line and eliminating the 16th St Freeride, depending on scenario.

The finance and planning committee voted on the 14th 4-2 to back a $0 cut scenario. However, the OSS committee then voted on the 15th 5-2 to model 10% cuts, which would save the agency about $31 million a year. The full board will now decide on a 5-20% recommendation, to be implemented by May/June 27.

3. 2027 Fare Increase Targets (Item XVII.F)

Thompson's Colorado highlighted that the finance committee considered fare increases at its July 14 meeting. That is now moving on to the full board. Staff will come up with three scenarios for fare increases, aimed at raising $8-12 million a year. The July 14 packet highlighted that a 25% fare increase could raise $12 million a year. If the full board passes a fare study increase, it would be included in next year's budget in May/June.

4. High-Volume Event Service Pilot Amendment (BroncosRide) (Item XVII.H)

The board will vote on modifying the Denver Broncos home game service pilot and authorizing $1 million in funding for high-volume event service through March 2027.

For decades, RTD operated "BroncosRide," a direct express shuttle network that transported fans from suburban Park-n-Ride lots across the metro area straight to Empower Field at Mile High. The agency suspended the service in 2020 due to driver shortages and budget constraints, before permanently discontinuing it citing Federal Transit Administration regulations regarding competition with private charter operators. Since the cancellation of BroncosRide, event travel has relied on standard scheduled light rail and local bus routes.

This $1 million authorization amends the pilot timeline and funding structure as the agency evaluates options for managing high-volume event transit alongside ongoing budget discussions.

The board appears to be eyeing adding the service back on for both the 2026-2027 and 2027-2028 seasons.

5. N Line Extension Funding (XVII.I & XVII.J)

The final major policy actions address capital expansion and legal liability on the N Line. The board will vote on an Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) with Adams County to spend up to $12 million out of the FasTracks Internal Savings Account (FISA) for preliminary design development to finish the remaining 5.5-mile northern stretch of the line.

The N Line currently terminates at Eastlake/124th in Thornton. Completing the full 18.5-mile FasTracks buildout would extend commuter rail north through a planned station at York/144th to its ultimate terminus at North Thornton/Highway 7 (162nd Avenue). Along with that funding authorization, the board will vote on a limited waiver of sovereign immunity specifically regarding RTD personnel operating N Line commuter rail vehicles.