DENVER — Today, the Regional Transportation District (RTD) Accountability Committee delivered its recommendations to the Colorado General Assembly and Gov. Jared Polis, marking an important next step in ongoing policy efforts to establish a world-renowned public transit system for Front Range communities.
The Accountability Committee’s report is the result of legislation passed last session, SB25-161, aimed at strengthening RTD and making transit more reliable and accessible, improving quality of life for Coloradans while reducing pollution. SB25-161 created the Accountability Committee and directed it to evaluate new policies to enhance services, boost ridership and rebuild public trust in the transit system.
The resulting recommendations reflect months of engagement with a diverse group of stakeholders, including transit riders, labor representatives, local government, RTD board members and disability, equity and environmental advocates. Together, they acknowledge the urgent need for reform and outline practical solutions to ensure RTD is positioned to improve reliability and frequency, grow ridership and meet Colorado’s climate and affordability goals.
Transportation remains Colorado’s largest source of climate pollution and one of the biggest household expenses for families statewide. Without a safe, accessible public transit system that people can rely on, Colorado cannot meaningfully cut pollution, reduce traffic or lower the cost of living for communities along the Front Range.
Among other reforms, the Accountability Committee suggests modernizing RTD’s board structure to create clearer accountability, strengthening financial oversight and transparency, and advancing efforts to decrease transportation emissions, so Colorado can grow sustainably while keeping transit affordable and accessible where people live and work.
The recommendations will be presented to the Colorado General Assembly in a hearing on Wednesday, Feb. 4, and are expected to inform legislation introduced this session implementing critical reforms at RTD and ensuring real, lasting improvements for riders.
Statements from partners, stakeholders and Conservation Colorado:
“Months of thoughtful work and input from riders, workers, advocates and local leaders led to the development of these recommendations,” said Kelly Nordini, CEO of Conservation Colorado. “Streamlining the board is essential to creating real accountability, focusing leadership on growing ridership and meeting Colorado’s climate and transportation goals.”
“Colorado has important goals to reduce congestion and pollution, lower the cost of living, and expand access to opportunity – and public transit is essential to delivering on them,” said Elise Jones, executive director of the Southwest Energy Efficiency Project, or SWEEP. “As the Denver region falls behind peer metro areas in transit ridership, these recommendations will help put RTD back on track by improving agency performance, strengthening partnerships, and addressing pressing financial challenges to deliver the high‑quality transit service our region deserves.”
“As our popular State continues to grow, it is imperative that we create a vision and plan for sustainable transportation, especially along the front range,” said Jaime Lewis, transit advisor for the Colorado Cross-Disability Coalition and co-chair of the RTD Accountability Committee. “The RTD Accountability Committee has provided the State Legislature and the Governor recommendations to strengthen RTD’s resolve, help build partnerships with local governments and agencies and to build cooperative trust between RTD and the State that encourages thoughtful and financially responsible transit growth. Most recommendations are embedded with best practices from transit agencies throughout the United States. Our goal, as committee members, was to review the operations of RTD as thoroughly as possible, making recommendations that will make RTD more efficient and responsive to the needs of our region.”
“True accountability is the constant responsibility of leadership to pursue and maintain a safe, equitable, and sustainable transportation network, focused on riders and a supported workforce that can unite communities,” said Renée M. Chacon, member of the Accountability Committee. “RTD has a chance to now act on and implement responsible changes where there has been equity gaps and relearn how to collaborate with the communities they serve.”
“We are at a critical juncture in the Denver metropolitan area,” said Maria Garcia Berry, former RTD board member and member of the Accountability Committee. “The region is facing critical needs that must be addressed: lack of affordable and workforce housing, living affordability, growing congestion, and workforce retention. A safe, reliable, innovative, and utilized transit system is essential to solving these challenges. These recommendations were crafted through extensive study and deliberation to ensure RTD can meet the region’s needs.”
