RTD Is Free for Two Months: My Thoughts About Zero Fare for Better Air
Last year I was thrilled about the Zero Fare for Better Air initiative. Touted as a way to encourage Coloradans and visitors to use public transit, get off the roads and contribute to better air quality was clearly a win. After last year’s experience, I even recorded a podcast episode about it on my personal finance show-I bet you didn’t know that I had more than one podcast. This year, I have some additional thoughts about the initiative and I’m going to lead with the following-I hope that next year we have three months of transit free from June-August or from July-September. There are some key aspects to the Zero Fare for Better Air initiative that I feel like we haven’t discussed, things that I’ve observed and some thoughts about public transit that we need to talk about.
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Listen to the Episode
Cowtown Denver
Show Notes
What not enough people talk about in the conversation about the Zero Fare for Better Air environmental initiative is what a huge difference it makes to take fare enforcement off the table for transit operators. There are no questions about the cost of the ride, no guests have to ask “Hey, does anyone have any change?” And the presence of security officers is focused on safety vs. fare enforcement. When I think about fare enforcement I often think about the frequent videos that we see coming out of New York City when people jump over the turnstiles or just for whatever reason become interesting to transit cops.
Zero Fare means that conversation is eliminated. I am a huge fan of policies focused on bettering the lives of citizens while working on improving the environment. I’m getting tired of getting those bad air alerts. But, for me, while the Democrats have gotten it right to talk about this policy from an environmental perspective-I haven’t missed that at the heart of this policy is a financial policy that benefits many families who rely upon RTD to get them to work, to fun and everything else in-between.
I’ve used public transit, specifically Denver’s public transit since I was a young child and I have fallen in love with this policy. I love that it benefits the people who use it on a. daily basis, I love that citizens and visitors are encouraged to experience using public transit-a reintroduction that continues to be needed in the years post COVID.
What I’ve Noticed in 2023
- Significantly more people using transit. It was great to see the times extended for the Swifties.
- People have a better awareness and understanding of the program. I’ve noticed Denverites and residents of other municipalities around the state sharing what’s going on and why.
- The branding is better-I like the Zero Fare for Better Air sleeves that have been placed around the fare boxes and the “Free Fare” notices on the front of the buses.
- Boarding buses in particular is so much faster because no one has to fiddle about preparing to pay or scan their app.
What Is Problematic
- Cleanliness-This was an issue prior to the start of the initiative. But, I wish there were teams of people cleaning the trains throughout the day. Public transit is “public” so there’s a lot going on with the trains and cleanliness is an ongoing process.
- Service disruptions-This one is tricky because service is impacted by staffing, weather, etc. If we’re trying to get people to use transit and sustain the habit-they need to experience consistent service. Because if service is disrupted often enough the experience that new riders who have a choice to say “no” to transit-won’t use it. The disruptions that I’m noticing are specific to the trains.
Not Problematic But Needs More Work
Even more marketing around the different components that make up public transit in Colorado. Did you know that Bustang expanded its Estes Park service to cover the summer? It’s not just during the Fall Rut (when Elks get it on!) This is a big deal for those of us who would like to avoid driving to Estes Park and Rocky Mountain National Park.
And the marketing clearly should be included in our out of state tourism marketing-as a way to get tourists to understand and know about public transit access across the state.
Great News
The week that I worked on this episode, RTD’s Board voted to lower transit prices. This is a huge story and a financial relief for citizens across the Denver metro area.
Are you enjoying this year’s Zero Fare for Better Air Campaign? What would you do differently or what do you appreciate?
Two final thoughts:
- I would love to see at the transit stations and around town for a couple of hours a day-tents set up sharing the initiative. I hate how hands off so many projects and initiatives have become in Denver where there is an over reliance on technology, apps and social media. Talk to us!
- Give the head of RTD a raise this year. The results haven’t been perfect, BUT they have been positive given the many headwinds impacting that role “post” COVID. I would hate for the team to do all this work and then have someone else come in and get all of the accolades and benefits of that hard work.