[Colorado-Talk] 16th Street Mall Bus may be going away

Wed Jul 15 16:53:57 UTC 2026

Hello All.

I am passing this along to you for your information.  We all do not want to
see service go away, yet RTD has serious budget cuts to make.  I would be
very sad to not have the 16th street mall bus. But, for those who use
access-a-ride, this option will not make any difference.

I also think that the outcry from those who use the shuttle will be great
and this is a great opportunity for RTD to find corporate sponsors for the
16th Street Mall Ride. Our tourism business has promoted the shuttle. It is
used for sporting events, concerts, festivals, and special events on a
regular basis. I bet if we point this option out to our state legislators,
who I am sure use the shuttle during the legislative session, they too will
want to help find creative and alternative funding for the shuttle.

Let's think on this.

Peggy Chong

RTD could kill the free 16th Street shuttle and several rail lines under
budget cut proposals

The FreeRide would be eliminated in four of five scenarios RTD has pitched
to save money.

Paolo Zialcita

Jul. 14, 2026 1:59 pm

"RTD could kill the free 16th Street shuttle and several rail lines under
budget cut 

The Regional Transportation District is losing hundreds of millions of
dollars per year, and the agency will consider cuts to dozens of bus and
rail lines, including a few of the area's best-known routes.

The public agency has identified dozens of routes it could eliminate to save
up to $62 million. The options include discontinuing the 16th Street
FreeRide, which is one of the most popular routes in Denver.

News that the 16th Street service could be eliminated drew strong pushback
from Mayor Mike Johnston and transit advocates, who said it was a critical
link for downtown Denver. The FreeRide would be eliminated in four out of
five reduction scenarios.

The proposals also show the agency is strongly considering eliminating the
Free MetroRide around downtown and the B Line to Westminster, which would be
discontinued in all five of the reduction scenarios now under consideration.

The proposal is set to be delivered to RTD's Board of Directors' Finance and
Planning Committee on Tuesday. Additionally, RTD's board will be asked to
consider raising fares and may consider putting a tax hike on the ballot to
bring in more funding in the future.

Here's how service cuts could work:

RTD staff have modeled five options for reducing service, plus a status quo
option.

The various scenarios aim to reduce overall service between 5% and 20% -
meaning that RTD buses and trains will be running for 20% fewer hours
throughout the year. 

If RTD's Board of Directors were to enact the full 20% service cut, the
agency would save $62 million by eliminating 39 routes. Those routes
combined for 5 million boardings last year. 

Any cuts would take effect during the agency's 2027 budget year, which
begins in January - though they may not begin until later in the year.

Proposed service changes would require a review from RTD's Civil Rights team
and opportunities for public input.

"We probably should have made service cuts and other cuts two or three years
ago when we first started experiencing a deficit," said Chris Nicholson, an
RTD board director.

A 'critically economically important' service is on the chopping block.

The proposals wouldn't affect many of the region's most popular routes, like
the Colfax Avenue bus line or A Line commuter rail service to the airport.

But popularity doesn't mean a route is safe. 

The 16th Street FreeRide (formerly known as the Free MallRide) had about 2.3
million riders last year. The free electric shuttle stops on every block
along 16th Street between Wewatta Street and Broadway, with wait times as
short as four minutes. 

If RTD were to implement the second tier of cuts - reducing overall service
by 10% - the FreeRide would be on the chopping block. The line costs about
$9.5 million to run. Because no ticket is required to ride the FreeRide, it
is one of the costliest bus services RTD provides.

Transit advocates sharply criticized the inclusion of the FreeRide on RTD's
service-cut shortlist. The service would be cut in four of the five service
reduction scenarios.

"Denver just spent over $100 million refreshing 16th Street to help with our
downtown economic recovery to improve sales in the region and that sales tax
is core to Denver's budget, it is necessary for Denver to function," June
Churchill, a transit advocate and candidate for Denver City Council, told
Denverite. "Given how cost-effective the service is and given how critically
economically important that service is, I really don't understand the
decision from RTD to cut it."

The city recently reopened 16th Street, complete with a new name (it's no
longer "16th Street Mall"), after a $175 million renovation project. And the
area's transformation isn't done - the city has committed hundreds of
millions more for the revitalization of downtown. 

Mayor Mike Johnston's office pushed back on the idea of cutting the
FreeRide, referencing a recent press release from RTD that proclaimed the
line's success. 

"We are deeply sympathetic to RTD's budget situation, but cutting a popular
service used hundreds of thousands of times a month and millions of times a
year isn't the answer," mayoral spokesperson Jon Ewing wrote in a text
message. "As RTD itself noted recently, the 16th Street FreeRide is vital to
supporting downtown and fills a crucial need in helping people navigate
between Civic Center Station and Union Station at no cost. It's the kind of
thing we need more of if we want people to use public transportation, not
less."

Major changes to rail proposed

Several of the metro region's rail lines - which are part of the unfinished
FasTracks initiative - are also on the chopping block. 

The B Line between Westminster and Union Station would be among the first to
go. The B Line would be eliminated in every service cut scenario, saving the
agency $19 million a year.

The B Line has never quite taken off. While it was initially meant to travel
between Longmont and Denver, just four stations have opened since
construction began in 2012, with the line abruptly ending in Westminster.
Last year, it recorded just 148,000 passenger boardings. At a cost of $48.40
per boarding, it is by far the least cost-efficient of the rail lines.

The L Line, another incomplete FasTracks vision, could also be cut if RTD
reduces service by 10% or more. The light rail line travels between 30th and
Downing streets and downtown, but doesn't connect to Union Station. It has
among the lowest ridership in RTD, with about 170,000 boardings last year.
It costs $9 per boarding - the most expensive of the light rail lines, but
cheaper than the commuter rail lines, which use faster and heavier vehicles.

The T Line also would be eliminated in all scenarios, reducing service along
the Interstate 25 corridor, as would many of RTD's on-demand FlexRide
offerings.

The R Line is also recommended for discontinuation in scenarios starting
with the 10% cut. The 16-stop line connects Lone Tree to Aurora, with
transfer opportunities in Denver. 

Meanwhile, two lines are recommended for increased service in all scenarios.
The A Line to the airport and the H Line to Aurora could see increased
capacity, which could cost RTD tens of millions of dollars. 

Leo Horwitz, a co-lead of transit advocacy group Greater Denver Transit,
warned against radical changes to RTD's train system. 

"Abandoning rail infrastructure would break a promise made to taxpayers and
riders that agreed to fund a well-connected, reliable transit system," he
wrote in a statement. "RTD cannot afford to erode public trust by abandoning
high-capacity infrastructure, running empty buses, or cutting efficient
routes as it prepares to ask Colorado voters for additional investment in
2028."

Two RTD board committees will have the chance to vote on the service cuts on
Tuesday and Wednesday before a full board vote at the end of the month.

Here are the scenarios under consideration:

5% target cut: The proposal would actually reduce service by 4.9%. It would
save $15.9 million by eliminating 21 routes and reducing service on three
more.

10% target cut: The proposal would actually reduce service by 8.3%. It would
save $35.9 million by eliminating 24 routes and reducing service on three
more. 

15% target cut: The proposal would actually reduce service by 10.4%. It
would save $46 million by eliminating 34 routes and reducing service on
seven more.

17.5% target cut: The proposal would actually reduce service by 12.3%. It
would save $54 million by eliminating 36 routes and reducing service on 13
more.

20% target cut: The proposal would actually reduce service by 14.4%. It
would save $62.1 million by eliminating 39 routes and reducing service on 19
more.

The scenarios would reduce RTD ridership by anywhere from 0.8% to 8% in
total - potentially keeping millions of people off buses and trains.

Nicholson, the RTD board director, said he believes there will be ample
opportunity for public input.

"At least from where I sit, there is and there should be an opportunity over
the next year to talk about which routes, how we get to that number, whether
that number is $2 million, $20 million, $30 million or $60 million," he
said. 

Even more change could be on the way. 

RTD is in the middle of a "comprehensive operational analysis", an 18-month
study into how transit service should meet the region's current and future
needs. The agency hired transit network design consultants Jarrett Walker
and Associates to lead the $3.5 million analysis. 

It will provide a blueprint for how services could be best utilized from
2028 to 2032.

"This could mean more frequent service in high-demand corridors, new
connections in growing areas, or adjusting service where demand has
shifted," an RTD press release said. 

And more change would be needed to close the budget gap.

RTD directors recently directed staff to study potential fare increases of
10% and 20%, which could help the agency generate up to $12.2 million more
per year. But those changes would also drive down ridership, staff noted.

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