Englewood – In half a day’s time, driver Val Roberts opens her door to all kinds of people aboard Englewood’s Art Shuttle.
In the early mornings, schoolchildren, store employees and senior citizens hop aboard the free ride.
At lunchtime Wednesday, a group of teens, one with a black-and-white mohawk, caught a ride at the Englewood City Center light-rail stop.
“It really gets busy in the afternoon,” said Roberts, who has driven RTD buses for a dozen years, including one year on the Art Shuttle. “People just like to get out and enjoy the day, I guess.”
But if Englewood can’t broker a deal with the Regional Transportation District, the Art Shuttle faces budgetary roadblocks, even if policymakers don’t put the brakes on it permanently.
Since it started three years ago, the bus service has been funded mostly by a federal grant that expires in September. The remaining 20 percent of the cost is split by RTD and the city.
Englewood and RTD are in negotiations on how to pony up the annual $266,119 budget. RTD could keep the ride free through tax subsidies or charging a fare the way other RTD buses do, according to proposals.
At a study session this week, RTD lauded the shuttle for its success. Nearly 200,000 riders a year board the bus at one of the 19 downtown stops in the community of 30,000. Most stops feature a piece of public art, which gives the bus line its name.
“The shuttle has been a tremendous success for Englewood,” Mayor Olga Wolosyn told the RTD board.
The board said it hoped to reward that success with life after federal funding dies.
RTD board member Bill Elfenbein said other communities should consider such a shuttle.
“This has been a great help, not just to Englewood but the community in general,” he said of the shoppers and workers who use it to get around downtown.
“We hope to be able to continue to work with Englewood to provide the Art Shuttle,” said RTD spokesman Scott Reed. “It’s just a question how it will be configured and, of course, funding – how that will be shared.”
Cedric Walker, 23, moved to Englewood a year ago from New York City, and he appreciates the free ride around town each day. Would he pay? “I probably would, but it would be inconvenient,” he said.
For others, the shuttle is a lifeline.
Leslee Cook, 62, wheeled her motorized scooter off the lift and into the back of the bus after a doctor’s visit Wednesday morning. She had taken an RTD bus to Englewood from her home in Denver.
“It’s nice for the elderly people,” she said. “That’s what I like.”
