| AI Summary |
This bill aims to improve how the Regional Transportation District (RTD) operates by making several changes:
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Service Expansion Partnerships: RTD can partner with local governments, colleges, or other organizations to expand transit services within its service area.
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Aligning with State Goals: RTD must:
- Support Colorado’s climate goals, including reducing greenhouse gas emissions and meeting transportation targets.
- Set goals for keeping and supporting transit workers.
- Follow federal rules to protect transit workers from assaults.
- Track and report how well it is meeting climate and worker goals.
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Strategic Planning: RTD must:
- Create a 10-year strategic plan by April 2026 and update its operations plan every 5 years.
- Report on its progress to its board of directors every quarter.
- Study ways to increase funding to meet its goals.
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Transparency and Updates: RTD must:
- Share project updates, ridership data, service changes, workforce info, and safety data on its website.
- Update its policies on service standards, equitable transit development, and parking management.
- Inform local government groups about any infrastructure needs in transit-friendly areas.
- Modernize and promote its EcoPass and discount programs for low-income riders.
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Board Changes:
- Adds two non-voting members to the RTD board, appointed by the state transportation department and the Denver Regional Council of Governments.
- Bans write-in candidates for the RTD board elections.
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Additional Transit Improvements:
- The state’s transportation commission must create resources to help local areas form transportation authorities for better funding and service.
- A 13-member RTD accountability committee within the Colorado Energy Office will review RTD’s governance, board representation, leadership pay, and worker retention, and report back to lawmakers by January 2026.
This bill is essentially about making RTD more efficient, transparent, and aligned with state climate and safety goals while improving services and supporting its workforce. Let me know if you need more details!
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| Summary |
The bill makes the following changes for the purpose of improving
the performance of the regional transportation district (RTD):
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Authorizes RTD to enter into a service partnership
agreement with a local government, institution of higher
education, or other entity to expand services within RTD's
service territory (section 2 of the bill);
•
Requires RTD, in discharging its responsibilities, to
(section 3):
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Align with statewide greenhouse gas reduction
targets, Transportation Vision 2035 goals, and
mode choice targets as will be developed according
to Senate Bill 25-030, if enacted;
•
Create worker retention goals;
•
Adhere to the requirements of General Directive
24-1: Required Actions Regarding Assaults on
Transit Workers, issued on September 25, 2024, by
the federal transit administration of the United
States department of transportation; and
•
Develop performance measures to evaluate its
progress in aligning with state climate goals and
achieving its worker retention goals;
•
Requires RTD to create a 10-year strategic plan no later
than April 10, 2026, and a comprehensive operational
analysis no less frequently than every 5 years beginning in
2026, and to report quarterly to the RTD board of directors
regarding the plan and analysis (section 4);
•
Requires RTD, in conjunction with the creation of its
10-year strategic plan, to study or contract with a third
party to study and identify opportunities to increase funding
to achieve the goals, measures, and targets identified in the
10-year strategic plan (section 4);
•
Requires RTD to create, maintain, and publish on its
website information and dashboards related to capital
projects, ridership and service information, planned service
changes, workforce statistics, and transit safety (section 4);
•
Requires RTD to update its service policies and standards,
its equitable transit-oriented development policy, and its
service buy-up policy, to create specific communication
protocols, and to implement parking and transportation
demand management strategies and policies (section 4);
•
Requires RTD to periodically notify the Denver regional
council of governments (DRCOG) and the department of
local affairs of any known infrastructure gaps that exist
within specific areas of a transit-oriented community within
RTD's service territory (section 4);
•
Requires RTD to modernize and advertise its EcoPass and
low-income fare discount programs (section 4);
•
Adds 2 nonvoting ex officio members to the RTD board of
directors (RTD board), to be appointed by the executive
director of the department of transportation and by
DRCOG (sections 6 and 8); and
•
Prohibits write-in candidates for the RTD board (section
7).
The bill also requires other entities to analyze opportunities for the
improvement of transit services by:
•
Requiring the transportation commission to develop and
publish best practices and technical assistance materials
concerning the creation of regional transportation
authorities to increase funding for transit and to provide
additional transit services within the state (section 5); and
•
Creating an RTD accountability committee within the
Colorado energy office that consists of 13 appointed
members. On or before January 30, 2026, the commission
is required to provide recommendations to the
transportation committees of the general assembly
concerning the governance structure and compensation of
the RTD board and executive leadership, the representation
of local governments and state agencies within RTD, and
RTD's workforce retention (section 9).
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