DENVER – If you’ve been enjoying riding the bus or light rail for free all summer long, you won’t have to wait long to enjoy cheaper fares to board public transit.
On Tuesday, the Regional Transportation District (RTD) made a vote from late July official: Fare cuts are coming across the board in 2024 for both single fare and monthly passes. Those 19 and younger will enjoy free rides starting next month.
Starting in 2024, RTD’s standard three-hour fare will only cost $2.75 for both regional and local riders. Under the current tier, local riders shell out $3 while regional riders have to pay an extra $2.25 on top of that. Day passes, which are currently $6 for local riders and $10.50 for regional riders, will cost only $5.50 under the new fare structure. The biggest reduction will be felt by people who pay for monthly passes: Fares will be reduced from $200 to just $88.
The “Train to the Plane” will also see a $0.50 reduction staring in 2024, from $10.50 to $10.
RTD customers participating in discount programs will see a single-fare price of only $1.35 and monthly passes will be reduced to just $27. Riders 19 and younger won’t have to pay a single dime starting in September of this year through the end of August 2024 under the district’s Zero Fare For Youth Program.
Currently, Coloradans can ride RTD for free as part of the agency’s “Free Fare for Better Air” initiative, which was approved by the Colorado state legislature last year, with the goal of reducing car trips during hotter months when ozone is most problematic.
That program ends at the end of this month.
