[Colorado-Talk] FW: Latest RTD News from ADAPT 9/13/26 -AOD rates, independent paratransit study, upcoming meetings...

Tue Sep 15 21:06:29 UTC 2026

From: ADAPT Colorado <adapt.colorado at gmail.com> 
Sent: Sunday, September 13, 2026 9:06 PM
To: ADAPT Colorado <adapt.colorado at gmail.com>
Subject: Latest RTD News from ADAPT 9/13/26 -AOD rates, independent paratransit study, upcoming meetings...

AOD provider rates -- simplified

Another advocacy win! Both Onward and Sunshine Rides revised their AOD rates downward after a troublesome rollout of these new providers.

Every AOD trip starts with the same RTD fare:

$4.50 standard fare
$2.25 with LiVE

Then the provider pricing determines how far the $20 RTD subsidy gets you:

Provider

WAV Rides

Non-WAV Rides

Onward

$20 covers first 15 miles, then $3/mile

Variable pricing based on Uber rates, RTD pays up to $20; rider pays anything over $20

Sunshine

$20 covers first 10 miles, then $3/mile

$20 covers first 10 miles, then $3/mile

Uber / Lyft

Not available 

Variable pricing, RTD pays up to $20; rider pays anything over $20

Independent Paratransit Study (SB26-150)

The SB26-150 paratransit study is already behind schedule. Despite this mandate being signed into law in May, the RFP hasn’t even gone out yet. The law requires the study to be completed by June 30, 2027, with the contract in place by December 31, 2026. Those dates are in the bill. There are no excuses for missing them.

Yet RTD staff is now proposing new dates, suggesting that the study be completed 12 months after contracting. Wait a minute. Since when does RTD get to make its own rules and blatantly disregard a statutory requirement? There is a track record here: waiting until the last minute to execute contracts, then rushing the process and producing grossly substandard results that adversely impact the disability community. We saw it in July with the new AOD providers. We cannot let that happen here.

Let’s be clear about something: this study did not simply “happen.” It was initially suggested by the RTD Accountability Committee, but ADAPT made sure it became law. We lobbied to keep the study in SB26-150 and worked closely with the bill sponsors to ensure the statutory scope was detailed enough to demand a thorough, independent, meaningful analysis. As Senator Ball said during the legislative process, ADAPT “put meat on the bones.”

This cannot become a quick report built around whatever data RTD happens to provide. Now comes the hard part: we have to make sure RTD follows through. We cannot let them cut corners, reduce the scope, control the narrative, or undermine this study.

We need all hands on deck.

We need people watching the procurement process.
We need people watching the RFP.
We need people watching the data.
We need people watching the methodology.
We need people making sure riders, families, caregivers, advocates, and the broader disability community are heard.
And we need people willing to speak up when something doesn’t look right.

This is our study. We fought for it. Now we have to watchdog it.

That means making sure SB26-150 produces the comprehensive, independent examination of paratransit that Colorado’s disability community deserves—not another RTD-controlled exercise that tells us what RTD wants us to believe--we've had enough of that! This is a critical opportunity to finally get the facts we need about paratransit. We cannot afford to let this study be watered down, rushed, or captured by the agency being studied.

Upcoming RTD Meetings

1) The Finance committee meets on Tuesday, September 15th at 5:30pm (agenda below). We need to keep an eye on the budget discussion.

2) The Operations, Safety and Security committee meets on Wednesday, September 16th at 5:30pm (agenda below). We need to ensure that this committee corrects the paratransit study completion date proposed by staff (see attached excerpt from the agenda packet).

3) Full Board of Directors meeting Tuesday, September 22nd at 5:30pm.

In solidarity,

FREE OUR PEOPLE

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