Denver area transit coalition calls for doubling of frequent, fast, reliable service

DENVER – Twice as many people across the Denver region could live within a short walk to a bus and train that comes every 15 minutes or less and runs later into the evening according to a new transit vision released by a coalition of transit advocates. The coalition, the Alliance to Transform Transportation, is calling for a doubling of bus service by 2036, with a focus on more routes that come frequently and are fast and reliable. 

“Frequent, fast and reliable – that’s the recipe for a great bus and train system,” said Danny Katz, CoPIRG executive director and a co-author of the vision. “Doubling the number of fast, frequent and reliable buses and trains across the Denver region in the next ten years would mean 2 million people from Longmont to Denver to Littleton would be a short walk to transit that comes so often you don’t need a schedule.” 

“Transit that comes when we need it and quickly gets us to our daily destinations increases our freedom,” said Jill Locantore, Executive Director of the Denver Streets Partnership and co-author of the vision. “Excellent transit allows everyone in our community to thrive, especially the 30% of the population who can’t drive because of age, income, disability or other reasons.”

“Coloradans need more affordable transportation options that free them from traffic and reduce pollution,” said Matt Frommer, Transportation & Land Use Policy Manager for the Southwest Energy Efficiency Project. “It’s time for the Denver region to embrace a bold transit vision – one that puts more residents within a short walk of high-quality transit service that gets them where they need to go.”

Specifically, the coalition’s vision calls for:

• Twice as much bus service in the region’s core area compared to 2023 service levels.
• Double the share of residents living within a 10-minute walk of frequent transit service that comes every 15 minutes or less (from 35% to 65%  – approximately 940,000 more people and 345,000 more jobs).
• More than double the number of frequent bus routes that run every 15 minutes or less (from 34 in 2026 to 83 by 2036).
• More than double the number of miles of frequent bus service from 490 miles to 1,139 miles. 
• Extending frequent service to earlier in the morning, later in the evening, and throughout the weekends.
• Improving the safety and comfort of more than half of the region’s bus stops,
• Supporting workforce development and additional safety programs
• Launching microtransit services, including direct connections to Red Rocks Park and Amphitheatre and local circulator routes to provide last-mile connections in more than a dozen areas.

According to the coalition, this service-focused vision would cost about $420 million a year.

• • $1.7 billion would be available to fund capital costs associated with improving transit speed and reliability, including helping to build out the region’s bus-rapid transit (BRT) corridors. 
  • $2.1 billion would support increasing the frequency of transit service
• $400 million would improve the safety and comfort of more than half of the region’s bus stops (about 4,000), support workforce development and additional safety programs, and launch microtransit services.

The Alliance to Transform Transportation includes CoPIRG, SWEEP, Denver Streets Partnership, Servicios de la Raza, NRDC, Conservation Colorado, Colorado Cross-Disability Coalition, Bicycle Colorado, ATU 1001, NAACP State Conference CO, WY, MT, and GreenLatinos. 

The coalition’s vision emphasized the numerous quality of life benefits with ramping up transit service including cutting pollution, reducing the cost of travel, increasing the safety of the transportation system and supporting the roughly 30% of Coloradans that can’t or don’t feel comfortable driving. 

The report can be found here.