After hearing from frustrated transit riders for several weeks, RTD is adding time to bus schedules so passengers can make connections to the southeast trains at the Nine Mile and Lincoln stations.
When the Regional Transportation District launched southeast service 2 1/2 weeks ago, the agency started new “feeder” bus service to the stations that was timed to arrive four minutes before train departures.
At a meeting Tuesday night, officials acknowledged that four-minute connection times were too tight and that many riders were missing scheduled connections.
Beginning Friday, RTD plans to add up to an additional four minutes to the schedule of some buses that serve the Nine Mile station, including routes 131, 133, 135 and 139, scheduling manager Bill Porter said.
“We think this will solve many of the problems,” he said.
The transit agency also will add time to the schedule of route 410 and 410Ltd buses that take commuters from Franktown and Parker to the Lincoln rail station.
Many commuters who use these buses also have been missing train connections.
But the pledge to pad bus times did not mollify RTD director O’Neill Quinlan, who represents many in the southeast corridor.
RTD halted route P express bus service from Franktown and Parker to downtown Denver when it opened southeast light rail, and replaced P service with 410 bus service that connects with the train at Lincoln.
Missed connections, especially during the afternoon commute home by many riders, have left passengers waiting long periods for buses in the cold, Quinlan said.
“We’ve given shoddy treatment, poor excuses and little feedback” to RTD’s most “loyal customers,” he said.
Porter agreed that some commuters long for the “one-seat” ride to and from downtown that they once enjoyed on the P bus.
But he said as RTD builds new rail lines, it can no longer afford to continue running long-distance express bus service that would compete with the train.
Also at Tuesday’s meeting, RTD officials said they plan to offer scheduled, fixed-route shuttle-bus service from the Dry Creek and Lincoln stations to office buildings on the east side of Interstate 25.
Officials said they hope to acquire more parking capacity near the Nine Mile parking lot, and they want the upcoming session of the Colorado legislature to support a bill that would allow them to charge those who live outside the RTD district for parking at select park-n-Rides. RTD also wants to charge users at these lots if they leave vehicles for more than 24 hours.
Staff writer Jeffrey Leib can be reached at 303-954-1645 or jleib@denverpost.com.
