About RTD
About RTD
Welcome to Your Transit System
The Regional Transportation District provides public transportation in eight counties including all of Boulder, Broomfield, Denver and Jefferson counties, parts of Adams, Arapahoe and Douglas Counties, and a small portion of Weld County. As a public agency, we are dedicated to serving the public and providing for the transportation needs of over 3.08 million people located within 2,342 square miles. Our services include bus, rail, shuttles, ADA paratransit services, demand responsive services like FlexRide, special event services, vanpools, and many more.
We are an organization made up of dedicated and qualified people doing extraordinary things to make the metro area the best in the West. We take great pride in the delivery of a wide array of services and we’re proud to be part of the productivity, progress, and passion of 40 municipalities. Our wheels will never stop rolling as we transform the region through transportation.
Our Mission
We make lives better through connections.
Vision
To be the trusted leader in mobility, delivering excellence and value to our customers and community.
Our Story
Bus
The Regional Transportation District was created in 1969 by the 47th session of the Colorado General Assembly. Efforts in these early years focused on regional transportation planning.
In 1973 voters approved a 0.5% sales tax initiative to finance a $1.56 billion multi-modal transit system. At this time, RTD acquired privately owned bus companies, improved service frequencies, and expanded routes in numerous counties throughout the metro area. By 1976, ridership grew to 35.2 million rides annually.
Rail
RTD celebrated its first light rail opening October 7, 1994. The 5.3-mile D Line attracted hundreds of thousands of riders when it began operations with just eleven light rail vehicles. April 22, 2016 marked another monumental milestone in Denver transit history with the opening of the metro area's first high-speed commuter rail line - the A Line. Twelve rail lines service 78 stations along the Denver's North, East, Southeast, Southwest, and West rail corridors.
FasTracks: The Expansion of RTD
In November 2004, region voters approved FasTracks transit tax for region-wide expansion of transit service. The .04% sales tax (four cents on a $10 purchase) provides funds to build RTD’s FasTracks program - 122 miles of new commuter rail and light rail, 18 miles of bus rapid transit, and 21,000 new parking spaces at rail and bus stations. The program consists of six new rapid transit corridors and three existing corridor extensions and to expand and enhance service for easy, convenient bus/rail connections across the eight-county district.
