DENVER — Planning ahead should be top of mind for anyone hoping to make it to Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final at Ball Arena Wednesday and its neighboring watch parties.
"We just want people to be mindful and expect that higher crowds may mean more crowded trains, and you may have to wait for another train if the train is full," said Brandon Figliolino, RTD senior community engagement specialist.
The agency is adding additional train cars to its lines to help with capacity.
"For example, the W line is going to have three cars when it normally will have two, and the E line will have four cars when it normally has three," Figliolino said.
The agency is also working with its contractors to make sure staffing levels don't impact service reliability.
"When we do have to drop a trip, we do our best not to drop two consecutive trips, and we will never drop a trip at the very end of the shift to make sure that people don't get stranded in downtown," Figliolino said.
Because anything is possible, you're asked to check the RTD Service Alerts page in case there are any changes to your route that can impact your trip.
When it comes to ride-share services, Patrick Walker, an Uber driver, says you should expect to pay more because of surge pricing. But don't think the drivers are benefiting from it much, especially because of these high gas prices.
"I don't know that it will be incredibly beneficial if the surge prices are occurring when you're sitting on Speer for two hours to get one light," Walker said.
One way to get around the surge pricing, Walker says, is to book ahead, although it still won't be cheap.
For example, a trip from Denver7 to Ball Arena Tuesday afternoon cost about $11. Booking ahead for a 5 p.m. pick-up time on Wednesday brings that up to nearly $42.
"They do charge a little bit more, but then you won't hit the surge pricing. It'll be a better guarantee of getting a ride, although there is no 100% guarantee on that at all," Walker said.
He also recommends walking away from busy areas before ordering your trip when you're leaving the game or watch parties to save some money. A spokesperson for Lyft recommends using its "Wait and Save" feature to also save some bucks.
Regardless of how you get around, he has a simple reminder.
"We're people, you know? We're trying to get by," he said. "We're trying to make our money and pay our bills."
