John Tayer - RTD District O Director » Eco Pass

Farewell to the Neighborhood Eco Pass Moratorium!

John — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 06:49:34 +0000

Today, in a unanimous vote, the RTD Board accepted the recommendations of the Pass Program Committee (a.k.a. The Eco Pass Committee) . . . officially ending the moratorium on the Neighborhood Eco Pass program.

Of course, termination of the Neighborhood Eco Pass program moratorium was just one facet of the Committee’s comprehensive recommendations concerning a future pricing framework for the Eco Pass programs. The staff memo, that you can access at the link below, provides all of the details. In summary, the Committee’s work establishes a method for using the ridership data from RTD’s future Smart Card system to price Eco Passes. This new formula guarantees that RTD will receive a revenue return that directly correlates to the transit services it provides, while maintaining the bulk rate purchasing characteristics that make the Eco Pass program such a valuable tool for building ridership.

The most immediate impact of tonight’s RTD Board decision, though, is the agreement to lift the Neighborhood Eco Pass moratorium. This will provide the opportunity to form new Neighborhood Eco Pass groups, beginning in 2010. It also will enable existing groups to expand, something that I have heard is a pressing need for many neighborhoods. Finally, aside from lifting the moratorium, another immediate impact of the Eco Pass Committee recommendations is the agreement that RTD will not raise the price for Eco Pass products, beyond an increase for all of RTD’s other fare media, until we begin collecting the Smart Card data.

As I said tonight to my RTD Board colleagues, their acceptance of the Eco Pass Committee recommendations is a major milestone for the Eco Pass program. It will help us to move beyond battles over ridership data and pricing and on toward getting more Eco Passes into the hands of more transit riders. That is the next goal I look forward to pursuing!

For more information on these Eco Pass developments, check-out the story by Heath Urie in today’s Daily Camera: http://www.dailycamera.com/news/ci_13605358.

I can not end this post without a note of great appreciation to the many folks who worked to forge the Eco Pass Committee recommendations. First and foremost, it was a working group of RTD staff along with representatives from the City of Boulder, Boulder County, the University of Colorado and others who did the heavy technical lifting. Since the going wasn’t always easy, at either the staff or the Committee level, I also want to compliment the able facilitation of the Osprey Group principals, John Huyler and Dennis Donald.

Finally, I extend a personal thanks to the Eco Pass Committee members, including fellow Board colleagues Noel Busck, Bill James, and Bill Christopher, along with Boulder County Commissioner Will Toor, Aylene McCallum from the Downtown Denver Partnership, Roger Armstrong from Capitol Hill United Neighborhoods, and Ken Burns from Smith-Barney. They deserve great recognition for their patience with a long and complicated process. I believe the end result, though, is testament to their valuable contribution.

Eco Pass Committee Reccommendations

More Progress in the Eco Pass Committee

John — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 04:12:18 +0000

Chalk-up more forward progress by RTD’s Ad Hoc Eco Pass Committee toward a sustainable pricing formula for these pass programs.

After years of acrimonious debate between RTD and advocates of the Eco Pass, a working group of representatives for RTD staff and other Eco Pass purchasing groups came together around a unified recommendation on the pricing formula for some of these passes. I attached a memo below that details the recommendation, but the summary is that Business Eco Passes will be priced based on a formula that accounts for the following factors:

1) There will be 20 business categories based on four different service level areas and five different ranges of company size;

2) The actual ridership data will be calculated for businesses in each of the different categories, based on information from the new fareboxes RTD is installing; and,

3) The value of each ride will be discounted by 40 percent, in keeping with discounts that RTD applies to its other pass programs and other values that accrue to RTD through the Eco Pass program.

The Ad Hoc Committee members accepted this formula by unanimous consent. It also was agreed that there will be no price increases for the Eco Pass, beyond RTD’s standard fare increases, until the new ridership data is available.

The working group will now take-on other challenging issues, like the opportunity to lift the current moritoium on the Neighborhood Eco Pass program. This has been another major sticking point between RTD and Eco Pass advocates, but the success in working through the Business Eco Pass issues give me great confidence that we will make progress in this area, as well.

The Ad Hoc Eco Pass Committee is scheduled to wrap-up its work on September 30. At that time, the Committee will prepare its final recommendations on a sustainable pricing formula for the Eco Pass program for full RTD Board consideration. So, stay tuned . . .

RTD Pass Program Committee Update

Eco Pass Committee Making Progress

John — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 04:33:35 +0000

It has been a few months since the Ad Hoc Eco Pass Committee first began its work . . . and there is much progress to report.

As you may remember, the purpose of the Ad Hoc Committee is to develop a recommended pricing formula for all forms of the Eco Pass (business, neighborhoods and universities). The pricing formula is expected to incorporate ridership data that new RTD fareboxes have the ability to collect, including the aggregation of data by specific Eco Pass groups.

The Ad Hoc Committee began by focusing on underlying values that will guide its work. The primary values the Committee members arrived at are that the Eco Pass program must be “economically sustainable for RTD while increasing ridership.” The group also recognizes that, with all the ridership data the new fareboxes are designed to provide, RTD will have the ability to price Eco Passes at a collective rate which guarantee the agency receives compensation that is comparable to the transit services it provides.

With these key parameters to guide us, a separate working group of RTD staff and Eco Pass stakeholders has been meeting to see if they can arrive at a consensus pricing formula to recommend to the Committee. They have narrowed the options they are considering to just a few, one which assesses pricing based on proximity to service while another considers actual ridership levels. There is third pricing option that the working group also is reviewing, the Master Pass concept that Director Jack O’Boyle crafted, which ties pricing to group size.

I am not certain where the working group will land in its recommendation, or if they will punt on a single recommendation and present various options to the Committee. Either way, for my part, I will be looking to make sure that the pricing formula the Ad Hoc Committee finally presents to the RTD Board maintains the incentive for Eco Pass holders to use transit. This means that there should be little direct tie between individual use and the price for the Eco Pass.

For now, that is where things stand on the Eco Pass front. The Ad Hoc Committee is schedule to hear the working group’s recommendations at a meeting in early September with the goal of presenting a final pricing proposal to the RTD Board in October. Stay tuned to this site for further updates on how the Committee’s work is proceeding and feel free to let me know, along the way, if you have any input regarding the Ad Hoc Committee’s efforts.

Eco Pass: Ad Hoc Committee Begins Work

John — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 23:49:52 +0000

Those who recall last fall’s fierce debate over some proposed structural changes to the Eco Pass programs (the common term for what RTD categorizes as Unlimited Access Pass products) might remember that one outcome was the commitment to form a Board committee that would work to determine an equitable pricing formula for Eco Passes. Following-up on this commitment, Board Chair Lee Kemp recently formed the Ad Hoc Eco Pass Committee, naming me as Chair. The other four Board representatives are Noel Busck, Bill Christopher and Bill James.

The Eco Pass Committee had its first meeting last Tuesday, focused on organizational issues. First, and this is a given with the appointment of four Board members, all meetings of the committee will be open to the public. That means all interested parties are invited to attend each meeting. I will try to keep this website up to date on the latest meeting schedule, though we don’t yet have a firm date for our next meeting.

Another issue we discussed at our first meeting was the appointment of additional individuals to represent various interests in the Eco Pass debate on our committee. We settled on a diverse group of four additional members, including Boulder County Commissioner Will Toor. The other three representatives are not yet official, but likely will include a representative from the Downtown Denver Business Partnership, a representative from the Capitol Hill Neighborhood Association, and a local businessman with a financial background.

Other items of discussion at the Eco Pass Committee’s first meeting included the deadline for our activities and the process for public input. Regarding the deadline for our work, most agreed that October was a good target. However, some cautioned that they don’t want to interfere with debate over a potential November FasTracks vote, so they urged us not to rush things.

My goal for the work of the Eco Pass Committee, though, is to develop an Eco Pass pricing formula in the absence of ridership data, when there is no clear picture of “winners and losers.” (We expect that ridership data from the new fareboxes that RTD is ordering should come on line early in 2010.) In that way, it is my hope we will develop a sustainable pricing formula, that both RTD staff and Eco Pass advocates can support. This will allow us to move beyond the regular debates about the price for the Eco Passes and move toward further expansion of the program.

As to the issue of public input, the committee members seemed to agree that they want to give everyone a fair chance to present their different perspectives. Director Busck even characterized our role on the committee as a jury, hearing-out all the different view-points before rendering a judgement. At the same time, there wasn’t much support for the standard three minute public comment periods at the beginning of each meeting. In the end, we asked the committee facilitators, John Huyler and Dennis Donald, to provide us with their own recommendations based on initial feedback from the committee members.

That summarizes the results of our first meeting of the Ad Hoc Eco Pass Committee. Please let me know if you have any questions or suggestions regarding the work of this committee. Otherwise, I urge you to stay tuned to this site for further updates.

Low-Income Eco Pass Program Moves Forward

John — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 05:27:15 +0000

In some very exciting news, I am pleased to report that the proposed low-income Eco Pass program that RTD Board Chair Lee Kemp and I initiated, in conjunction with Boulder County transportation staff, is moving forward.

The following is a memorandum describing the Pilot Pass Program for Housing Authorities that my Board colleagues approved at the October 14 Operations and Customer Service Committee meeting: Pilot Pass Program for Housing Authorities. In essence, the program will create Eco Pass districts within housing authority communities, such as public housing buildings and trailer parks, where there are high concentrations of low-income households. The initial pilot study will entail partnerships with three different housing authorities, covering urban and suburban communities. RTD staff has since assured me that Boulder County will have the opportunity to participate in the pilot program.

As I said when I ran for the District O seat on the RTD Board, one of my top priorities was extending the benefits of the Eco Pass program to a wider diversity of households and individuals. Implementation of the pilot program for housing authorities, that targets low-income populations, is an important step forward toward the goal of wider access to the Eco Pass for all citizens.

The Eco Pass Debate: How We Fared

John — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 03:48:15 +0000

Maybe we all just needed a break from two month’s worth of anxiety-inducing debate over the fate of the Eco Pass program. I know I did. But I do apologize for my delay in providing this update on the final RTD Board decision concerning proposed changes for Business and Neighborhood Eco Passes.

As you will recall, if you followed the recent kerfuffle (a word I don’t get to use very often, but it just seemed to fit here ( , RTD staff had incorporated a number of structural policy adjustments to the Business and Neighborhood Eco Passes into their 2009 Fare Policy recommendations. The most damaging elements were new minimum contract rates for small businesses (amounting to an additional 100 percent cost increase for the first year and 300 percent in the second year) and a moratorium on new Neighborhood Eco Pass contracts, along with a proposal that was circulating to completely eliminate the Neighborhood Eco Passes in 2010.

It was clear that some of my Board colleagues initially were inclined to support the staff proposal. Many of them were concerned, based on staff analysis and their own intuition, that Business and Neighborhood Eco Passes are improperly priced. Philosophically, they were not convinced that the insurance pricing model, which holds that everyone pays a lower rate for their Eco Pass on the assumption that only some pass holders actually use it to any great extent, should apply to small businesses and neighborhoods.

I won’t bother to re-hash the arguments from both sides of this policy debate, as you can read about them in some of my previous blog postings on this subject. I will tell you, though, that the public response to these proposed structural changes in the Eco Pass program was overwhelming. Most Board members can not remember an issue that generated so many e-mails, public participation comments, and other forms of citizen input. It was an impressive show of concern from those who recognize the important value the Eco Pass program offers for RTD and our customers. The thoughtful nature of the input, with very well considered arguments, also was noteworthy. Most importantly, it worked!

I awoke on September 30, the day of the final RTD Board vote on the 2009 Fare Policy recommendations, feeling that the prospects for mustering sufficient votes to kill the proposed structural changes to the Eco Pass program were bleak. However, as I reached-out to the other Directors, it became clear that a number of them were giving second thoughts to their initial position. While there were a wide array of opinions amongst my Board colleagues on the details of their evolving positions, a small majority of them were uncomfortable with such dramatic changes in the Eco Pass program. Many noted the devastating impact the proposed changes could have on a significant cross-section of RTD’s customers, with specific reference to the public input they had been receiving.

So, going into the Board meeting, I had good reason to believe we might be able to fend-off the worst of the proposed structural changes. But, one can never be sure until the final vote is taken . . . so here, in the words of Zac Brown from the Daily Camera, is how things turned-out: http://www.dailycamera.com/news/2008/sep/30/rtd-changes-course-ecopass/.

Of course, for those of us who are most protective of the Eco Pass program, there are elements of the final Board vote that are troubling. Most concerning, though Neighborhood Eco Passes survived, a majority of my Board colleagues did support the moratorium on new contracts. The moratorium is slated to end when RTD begins collecting ridership data from new fareboxes the agency is installing next year. I will be pushing to make certain the farebox installation occurs promptly and that RTD staff does everything possible to expedite data collection. In the meantime, as the Daily Camera also reported, I have supported efforts to ensure that those neighborhoods who were in the process of forming Eco Pass districts could beat the moratorium deadline: http://www.dailycamera.com/news/2008/oct/08/mad-dash-eco-passes/.

So, that is how it all played-out. Not perfect, by any stretch, but we avoided the most devestating hits to Business and Neighborhood Eco Passes. And the work continues . . . as the Board agreed to form another committee to study Eco Pass pricing. My hope is this group will focus on the future, considering how to best use the data that RTD will collect from the new fareboxes, in order to avoid another Eco Pass debate based on conflicting assessments of current ridership statistics, like the one we just had. Please stay tuned to these pages to see how things progress.

In the meantime, thanks to all of you who spoke-up in support of the Eco Pass program. You played a very important role in this policy debate and, on a personal note, you inspired me to do my best to preserve this important fare option for RTD customers. It is exciting to see the passion so many of you have for the success of our regional transit system and it is an honor to represent your interests on the RTD Board.

Finally, just to remind us to maintain our sense of humor . . . here is a unique perspective on the Eco Pass debate from the great Boulder County Business Report cartoonist, Ron Ruelle: Eco Pass Cartoon.

Proposed Eco Pass and Neighborhood Pass Changes: Things Are Getting Hot!

John — Sat, 27 Sep 2008 19:07:33 +0000

Well, its four days out from the September 30 RTD Board meeting where we are slated to make a final decision on the 2009 Fare Policy recommendations, including all of staff’s proposed changes to the Eco Pass and Neighborhood Pass programs . . . and things are getting really interesting.

Rumor began circulating yesterday that staff is shopping with certain Board members a new compromise proposal for changes to the Eco Pass and Neighborhood Pass programs. This rumor was subsequently confirmed by some of my Board colleagues and many elements of this proposal later appeared in a memorandum that was distributed on Friday evening. Specifically, staff is recommending the following Fare Policy provisions:

A 14 percent increase (consistent with the increase in all RTD fares) and an additional 5 percent increase (based on the numbers they have collected for increased ridership in 2008) in the price of all Eco Passes and Neighborhood Passes;

A $5.00 surcharge for rides to DIA for those who are using an Eco Pass or Neighborhood Pass;

A new proposal that significantly increases the price small businesses pay for the Eco Pass in 2009, with an even bigger jump in 2010 (the precise formula is available at: http://www.rtd-denver.com/News/Final_Recommendations_for_Proposed_January_09_Business_Eco_Pass_Fare_Policy_Changes.pdf); and,

Another new recommendation for the Neighborhood Pass program, beyond the originally proposed moratorium, to eliminate the Neighborhood Pass Progam entirely in 2010.

Obviously, this new proposal is quite troubling (yes, I could use stronger language here, but I am trying to keep my cool ( : ). As I have said since they were first announced, I oppose all structural changes, beyond the 19 percent in proposed fare increases, that RTD staff has recommended for the Eco Pass and Neighborhood Pass programs. These new recommendations only make my objections that much stronger.

I am pleased that others share my opposition to the originally proposed structural changes. Clay Evans from the Daily Camera wrote a great piece along these lines last week: http://www.dailycamera.com/news/2008/sep/23/keep-em-riding/. Thanks to all of you, as well, who have sent your own e-mails and letters expressing support for my position.

As I have said before, this is a fluid situation and there is no telling what other proposals RTD staff or my RTD Board colleagues will put forward on Tuesday evening. Many Board Directors are demonstrating their honest concern and responsiveness to public input through the offer of alternative structural changes to the Eco Pass and Neighborhood Pass programs. Unfortunately, based on what I believe is largely anecdotal evidence and circumstantial data, some of my Board colleagues are convinced that significant overhauls are warranted in the Eco Pass and Neighborhood Pass programs, maybe even elimination.

I vehemently disagree!

We are just one year away, after many years of delay, from installing new fareboxes that will answer the questions RTD staff and Board Directors have regarding true ridership figures for the Eco Pass and Neighborhood Pass programs. I think it is inappropriate to make significant policy decisions, that impact such a wide RTD customer-base and can have such potentially negative ramifications for RTD’s finances, in the absence of meaningful and well-vetted data.

I will be making my opinions clear at next Tuesday’s meeting. I understand that many Eco Pass and Neighborhood Pass supporters are planning to attend the 5:30 p.m. public hearing to express their concerns, as well. I hope, together, we can convince a majority of my Board colleagues to reject the proposed structural changes to the Eco Pass and Neighborhood Pass programs.

Hot Off the Press! – Revised Eco Pass Proposal

John — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 06:20:35 +0000

Attached is a revised proposal for structural changes to the Eco Pass program that was delivered to my house this evening.

This new proposal is staff’s response to some of the public input they received at the recent series of 2009 Fare Policy hearings. The most significant features of the revised proposal are as follows:

The biggest change removes the 50 employee minimum as the threshold Eco Pass contract price for businesses of 50 employees or less. Staff’s revised recommendations replace this provision with a minimum contract price for the business Eco Pass that is equivalent to the cost for a set number of annual ValuePasses: 3 for companies of 1-10 employees, 4.5 for companies of 11-20 employees and 6 for companies of 21 employees and over, with these ValuePass numbers increasing in 2010.

Staff’s revised proposal maintains the skyRide fee at $5.00 for rides to DIA, but eliminates the charge for return trips from DIA.

While I still can not accept the proposed structural changes to the Eco Pass program, for the same reasons I have expressed in prior statements, I appreciate the effort staff made in response to the outpouring of public criticism at the Fare Policy hearings.

2009 Fare Proposal – Business Eco Pass

Eco Pass Hearings: Loud and Clear

John — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 17:29:00 +0000

As most of you probably know, RTD hosted two public hearings last week focused on the package of proposed fare increases and structural adjustments to the Eco Pass program that are embodied in the draft 2009 Fare Policy Recommendations. The Daily Camera covered these hearings in the following story: http://www.dailycamera.com/news/2008/sep/18/boulder-riders-decry-rtd-rate-hike-proposal/.

First, I must tip my hat to all of you who made the effort to attend the public hearings. Making a mid-day meeting or braving the evening football traffic was a serious enough commitment, but the thought that many of those who spoke put into their comments also was apparent. Very clearly, there is a great appreciation in Boulder County for the value of the Eco Pass to individual transit users and to RTD.

In making their case to the RTD Board, most of the speakers focused on two key points:

RTD should not make significant structural changes to one of its most successful mechanisms for generating revenue and ridership without clear data, which RTD will begin collecting in 2009; and,
This is the wrong time for RTD to alienate its most loyal supporters, as the ECO Pass policies RTD staff is proposing will, at best, generate a few million dollars while RTD is confronting needs that run into the billions.

There are many other technical issues that hearing participants raised with the logic of the proposed Eco Pass changes along predictions of the ridership and revenue losses RTD will suffer if the Eco Pass becomes unaffordable to many individuals and businesses.

As I said at both hearings, these public comments are having a real impact. RTD staff tells us that they currently are considering significant adjustments in their initial Eco Pass recommendations. It is reported that they will reveal their alternative proposals at this Tuesday’s study session . . . so stay tuned (and I will post any revised proposals on this web site).

Ultimately, the RTD Board is scheduled to act on the entire package of 2009 Fare Policy Recommendations during our September 30 meeting. RTD Board Chair Lee Kemp announced that there will be an opportunity for public comment during that meeting. The meeting will begin at 5:30 p.m. in the basement of the RTD headquarters building, 1600 Blake Street in Denver.

Whether or not you plan to attend the September 30 meeting and/or participate in the public hearing, I want to thank all of you who already shared your input and helped me to make my case for preserving the integrity of the Eco Pass program.

Just Looking for a Fare Fight on the Eco Pass

John — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 13:28:25 +0000

In its efforts to shore-up RTD’s operations budget for 2009, RTD staff has recommended fare increases of roughly 14 percent on everything from cash fare rates to monthly pass prices. In addition, based on increased ridership numbers among those who use RTD’s unlimited access passes, such as the Eco Pass, RTD staff is proposing an additional 5 percent annual price increase just for these fare products. The full recommended fare adjustment package is attached at the bottom of this posting.

In previous postings, such as my piece on the “Transit Paradox,” I have explained why RTD is forced to consider such revenue generating measures. Rising fuel prices and rapid increases in other operations expenses, along with lower than usual sales tax income, have taken a severe bite out of RTD’s budget. With no other readily available revenue sources and no other significant opportunities for budget savings, other than severe service cuts, I believe it is appropriate for RTD to begin a dialogue with the public regarding a proposed fare hike.

Aside from the proposed fare adjustments, though, RTD staff also included in its recommended 2009 fare policy package some additional provisions that I believe fundamentally change the structure of our current Eco Pass and Neighborhood Pass programs. These policies changes include the following:

Raising the minimum threshold for companies that participate in the Business Eco Pass program to 50 employees (i.e. all companies below 50 employees will have to pay the same rate as a company with 50 employees);

Placing a moratorium on any new neighborhoods joining the Neighborhood Pass program; and,

Charging unlimited access pass holders an additional $5 fare for use of skyRide services.

I objected strongly to the staff decision to include these elements in its recommended fare adjustment package. I feel such significant structural changes to the Eco Pass and other unlimited access pass products should be subject to separate analysis, outside of measures that are designed simply to help RTD balance its operations budget. Specifically, I offered the following perspective in a statement to my Board colleagues:

Keep the Focus on Fares!

RTD staff has done an excellent job over the past few months preparing a proposal for bus and rail rate adjustments that will help RTD maintain its service standards. The proposal that sits before us tonight contains a series of balanced rate adjustments that are worthy of our planned public input process. These rate adjustments cover all of RTD’s fare payment mechanisms, from direct cash fares to annual Eco Passes.

At the same time, beyond the typical fare adjustment discussion, RTD staff is proposing a series of measures that fundamentally change the structureof our Eco Pass and Neighborhood Pass programs. I am speaking specifically of the proposals to place a moratorium on Neighborhood Passes, to increase the minimum employee thresholds for the Eco Pass program, and to charge all Passholders a new $5 fee for skyRide service. These proposed measures have significant policy implications for the Eco Pass and Neighborhood Pass programs.

You have seen the e-mails and heard the testimony this evening. These proposed structural adjustments will have a devastating impact on RTD customers from across the Denver region, many who are RTD’s most loyal riders.

Further, RTD staff offers these proposed structural changes to the Eco-Pass and Neighborhood Pass programs at the very time that we are expecting to get the hard ridership data that will help us to make truly sound policy decisions. In 2009, after many too many years of delay, we are finally installing the fareboxes that will definitively answer the questions we have regarding Eco-Pass ridership. So, why now, just as we wait to receive this data, should we take precipitous action based on information that we have been arguing about for the past 16 years?

It is for these reasons, because of the devastating implications to our most devoted transit customers and the precipitous nature of the proposed measures, that I ask my fellow Board members to please join me in supporting a proposed amendment that removes the non-germane structural adjustments to the Eco Pass and Neighborhood Pass programs from the proposed 2009 fare policy changes.

Ultimately, four of my Board colleagues joined me in my proposed amendment. Others expressed some sympathy with my position on the three structural adjustments in the unlimited access pass products, both publicly and in private conversations, but felt it was appropriate to take the entire staff proposal out for public consideration. I think the Daily Camera did the best job describing last Tuesday’s debate and detailing the opinions that others have offered on this issue: http://www.dailycamera.com/news/2008/aug/19/rtd-considers-jacking-eco-pass-rates/.

In light of the Board decision last Tuesday evening, the entire package of proposed fare increases and policy adjustments will now circulate for public comment. Please make sure to check the RTD website, www.rtd-denver.com, for specific public hearing dates and locations . . . and let your voice be heard on this issue!

September 9 Updates:

Update #1: There will be two public hearings in Boulder on Thursday, September 18; one at 12:00 p.m. in the theater at the main Boulder Public Library branch on Canyon Boulevard and the other at 6:00 p.m. in the Glenn Miller Ballroom of the UMC on the University of Colorado campus.

Update #2: RTD staff has scheduled a Board meeting at 5:30 p.m. on September 30 at the RTD Headquarters, 1600 Blake Street in Denver, for a final vote on the proposed fare policy changes. There will be a public hearing during this meeting . . . so it is another opportunity for you to express your opinion on the proposed structural changes to the unlimited access pass programs.

RTD Fare Policy Recommendations for 2009