More than a thousand Denver residents desire more space for outdoor activities while having to maintain physical distancing, a new Denver Streets Partnership survey found. Read more

Subway and bus systems in the U.S. face financial peril as ridership collapses due to lockdowns. To keep transit alive, here’s a playbook for immediate and long-term fixes. Read more

*Information from an RTD news release:

DENVER (April 24, 2020) – In accordance with Gov. Jared Polis’s recent order that everyone wear a mask or face covering when out in public, the Regional Transportation District (RTD) is calling on its riders to take responsibility for the safety of themselves and others by wearing a mask or face covering. All of the agency’s bus and rail operators are now required to do the same, under a new RTD policy that takes effect today.

“Personal safety is everyone’s responsibility,” said Mike Meader, RTD’s chief safety and security officer. “To slow the spread of the coronavirus, all of us must do our part. With this new policy, our agency is demonstrating a continued commitment to the health and safety of our employees and our patrons. We take these measures seriously. We will continue to weather this pandemic together.”

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.

RTD is asking the public to be its partner in safety in several ways, in addition to wearing a mask while riding transit. People should take only essential trips, practice good hygiene and respect social distancing by keeping at least 6 feet away from others. If a vehicle appears to be full, they should not board and either go to the next train car or wait for the next bus. On routes that are serving more riders, another bus isn’t far behind.

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). The agency has taken several steps to encourage social distancing to keep employees and passengers safe, including:

Implementing rear-door boarding and exiting, and suspending fare collection, to create another layer of social distance between operators and riders and eliminate the need for contact with the farebox.

Roping off the area behind the operators and wheelchair securement area, to ensure social distancing and protect our operators and customers from crowding.

Limiting vehicle capacity to approximately 15 passengers per bus, 20 on larger buses and 30 on train cars. Bus operators seeing larger crowds forming along their route have been asked to call bus dispatch, to deploy additional buses as they are available.

The recent service reduction, which provides flexibility of the staff and fleet to respond to more utilized routes.

For the latest updates about how RTD is addressing the pandemic, visit https://www.rtd-denver.com/coronavirus.