After more than a dozen public meetings that saw riders and local elected officials bemoan the Regional Transportation District's plan to cut service because of an operator shortage, agency staff are walking back some of the recommended cuts.
Among the highest-profile routes that have been saved from the scrap heap are the 16L down West Colfax and the 99L that runs from Ken Caryl to the Federal Center to downtown Denver.
Here are the full details, per documents staff prepared for a board meeting next Tuesday.
Route 16L –West Colfax: proposal to discontinue service has been rescinded
Route 32 – 32ndAvenue/City Park: proposal has been modified to retain peak period, peak direction service east of Downtown. The proposal to discontinue service west of Wadsworth Boulevard remains
Route 99L (formerly Route 100L) South Kipling: proposal modified to maintain service between Federal Center Station and Civic Center Station.
Route 153 – Chambers Road: the proposal to reduce peak frequency from 15 to 30 minutes service has been rescinded
Route 157 – CCA/Buckley: the proposal to discontinue service has been rescinded
Route 206 - Pearl/Manhattan/Fairview High School: proposal modified to retain service between Boulder Junction at Depot Station and Arapahoe and 55thStreet.
Route 403 – Lucent Boulevard: reduce service to hourly during peak period
Route 483 – Parker Road/Lincoln Avenue: proposal to reduce peak frequency service has been rescinded
Route Y -Lyons/Boulder: proposal modified to reduce service to 1 AM and 3 PM peak trips
RunRide: proposal to cut service delayed until May 2021
H Line -Florida Station -18th & California: proposal to reduce weekend service has been rescinded
Even with the less draconian cuts, staff expect the overall package of service reductions will reduce the need for 34 bus shifts and nine rail shifts and save the agency more than $8 million. RTD is short more than 160 drivers between its bus and rail operations.
The cuts were initially described as temporary, though RTD eventually said service may not return on all routes. The board is set to take a preliminary vote on the revised plan Tuesday, and a final vote later in the month. It would go into effect in May.
