Hundreds of Boulder County bus riders could be looking for alternative transportation if proposed cuts to Regional Transportation District routes are approved.
RTD staff have proposed eliminating or reducing approximately 30 routes or special services in metro Denver, four of which impact Boulder County.
The plan would eliminate BuffRide, the regional commuting bus to University of Colorado football games, and route 236, which loops between the Table Mesa and Boulder Junction stations along 28th Street.
Other cuts include reducing service for route Y between Lyons and Boulder to two morning and evening trips per day and reducing the frequency of the JUMP route, which runs on Arapahoe Avenue between Lafayette and Boulder.
RTD doesn’t have enough employees to staff all of the routes, said spokeswoman Laurie Huff, and this is the first time the district has considered reducing or eliminating service because of understaffing.
“The issues we’re experiencing are not unique to our region,” Huff said. “They’re being experienced throughout the country and the world.”
Part of the challenge in hiring and retaining employees is the mandatory six-day work weeks, Huff said.
RTD instituted mandatory six-day weeks for many employees because there weren’t enough operators to cover all of the routes, but the grueling schedule has caused a high rate of turnover at the agency.
“The hope with this proposal is that it will help stabilize our workforce and help get things to a place where fewer people have to be mandated,” Huff said. “We’re not saying this proposal will eliminate the need to mandate (six-day weeks), but the hope is that it will decrease the need.”
Routes were identified for reductions or elimination based on low community use and revenue, according to an RTD staff report.
Brian, a regular Flatiron Flyer rider who declined to give his last name, said he was glad to hear his route wasn’t being considered for reduction. He rides five or six days every week, usually commuting between his home in north Denver and his job in Boulder.
“I think there are some structural problems with RTD, not the least of which is that they’re underfunded,” he said. “There needs to be some serious rethinking about how the whole thing is put together and laid out.”
The proposed cuts are concerning because people need more options for commuting and public transportation, not less, said John Tayer, president and CEO of the Boulder Chamber of Commerce.
“Clearly (RTD) is dealing with significant financial and labor constraints, and thatap having significant ramifications for mobility in and around Boulder County,” said Tayer, who represented District O, which encompasses western Boulder County, on the RTD board of directors from 2006-2013.
Fewer transportation options are a concern from an economic standpoint, Tayer said, but also because it means a less environmentally sustainable transportation system and less social equity.
“We need to work with RTD to fundamentally change its direction, but also we’re clearly going to have to look at alternative mobility for our community,” he said.
The most popular route that could be cut is BuffRide, which shuttles approximately 450 people to CU Boulder’s campus for every home football game, according to RTD data.
CU Boulder spokeswoman Deborah Méndez Wilson declined to comment on the plan, stating that the university can’t speculate on proposed RTD service changes.
RTD’s Board of Directors is set to vote on the changes at a Jan. 14 meeting, with a final vote occurring in March. District staff will hold public forums across the region in January and February to gather feedback, Huff said.
If approved, the changes would go into effect in May.
