Left my bag on bus. Called next day they had it. Great customer service. Fast commute from Denver Airport to Boulder.

I really wish I could write a better review but I recently started a job downtown and now rely on RTD's light rail to get to and from work. I don't know if it's just a series of unfortunate events or an ongoing issue, but I have been pretty frustrated with the commute lately. Multiple times a week I've dealt with trains showing up late or skipping completely. I've been late to work more than once because of the train. Luckily, it happens to my other coworkers too, so they're understanding. If RTD was cheaper, it would be harder to complain. But a $10 train ride not showing up when expected, multiple times, is unacceptable. When the trains skip, the next train gets extremely packed because you essentially have 2x as many people on one train now. I have been on a train so crowded that people were leaning on the doors on a moving train because there was nowhere left to stand. That's pretty unsafe and not necessarily RTD's fault, but it gives you some perspective on how one skipped train can affect so many people. Another night there was some issue and the train skipped twice. The train was soooo full and eventually stopped at a stop and had to kick all of us off and put us on another train to get to the remaining stops. It was a nightmare, but I get that stuff happens sometimes. But, since this event, I have dealt with more skipped trains and it's frustrating. I think the most annoying thing is that RTD rarely explains or informs you of delays unless it's what they consider serious. Their app is not easy to understand and I never ever find it informational to where the train I'm waiting on is or when it will actually arrive. On a positive note, the trains are usually fairly clean and the ability to buy your fare on the app is cool. read more

This review is specifically for the regional route between Denver and Boulder. It is an efficient way to get to downtown Denver for me. I can walk to the CU campus stop from my house for this route to Denver. There are alternately trips that have many stops, some stops and an express. There are more express runs during rush hour. I tend to ride midday so I get the semi-express and it has never been full when I have been on it. The buses are clean, the drivers polite. When I stayed overnight in Denver, they handled the luggage nicely in the underside compartments. I definitely find this the way for me to go if I am heading anywhere near Union Station. Transfers from there are available but I have never used them. I can walk pretty far from Union Station on my own. I can't wait to try the new Flatiron Flyer BRT which is starting soon. I am not sure if they have bought new buses or just repurposed and spruced up the regular ones (I have seen one on the road with the new paint job anyway) but they will be riding in the new lanes on US 36, which are nearly done! read more

A poem while sitting on the bus: The bus is empty and I find a lonely seat The wheezing man sits right next to me Bus driver is picking his nose and three 14-year olds just got on the bus... Loudly I thought the bus was empty but a homeless man popped up from the back and starts falling forward as the bus comes to a quick stop. Wheezer turns his head the other way as to not look at the homeless man. My bus stop is near and Wheezer waves me goodbye. My next bus to Boulder is crowded and comfortable. Regional bus has soft cushy seats. Each busser sits in the end seat, to avoid my body next to them I end up sitting next to the talker... * Star one is for public transportation ** Weirdo star two is for the characters that ride and make the bus the place to be *** Starring star three is for the bussers who love to stare at you even though you have rolled your eyes 22 times **** Speed it up star four is for the fast express busses that zip you to Boulder and back with no stops in-between ***** Smell it up star five is for stinky people who ride the bus, that is the best way to get your own seat fast read more

RTD - Public Transportation Near Me - Denver, Colorado

The Denver bus lines are pretty awesome compared to other local or regional buses. In my hundreds of trips, whether from Uptown to downtown or all the way to DTC, they've always been clean, swift, and accommodating. Not much to dislike. I'm sure that bus routes are not all created equal, but I'm not playing the "rate every route" game. The best I can do is to say that there's no serious problem with the system in Denver. The missing star is due to the unpredictability of schedules. It's epidemic. Don't expect a bus that arrives "every 15 minutes" to actually do that. Plan to be 20 minutes early if you're using the bus in town... more buffer the further you're going or especially if you have a transfer. The trains are better, but I'll cover that in a separate review. read more

RTD - Pull cord for next stop - Public Transportation Near Me - Denver, Colorado

I'm sitting here at the rtd station at (central Parkway station and I have already had a long day and I am waiting for the 88l and it's 20 degrees really cold and the 88l is supposed to be parked at gate D2 gate it's 7:45pm so it's night time and it's really cold and normal the driver pulls up to the gate so we the customers can sit in the bus totill it's time to leave to stay warm but not this driver he stays parked at the restroom till it's time to leave leaving everyone outside in the cold bus number 6113 and the 88l isn't supposed to leave till 7:55 but the bus driver read more

Absolutely horrible! This has been the 3rd time your bus driver is over 15 minutes late. Making me miss 2 job interviews! Not cool whatsoever. Even when I did my maps for directions it did not show the bus was running late or anything. Said next bus wasn't until 9:50 this morning and as I'm crossing the street the 46 bus on cherry street and Virginia pulls up 16 minutes late. Tried to flag down the bus driver and completely ignored me and almost ran me over. Unacceptable behavior. This driver should not be authorized to operate a bus yet alone a vehicle. Completely unacceptable to be almost 20 minutes late behind schedule. 3rd time I almost lost my job because the driver was 23 minutes late!!!! Update your app and maps because this is absurd. read more

Given that Denver metro is a sprawling metro area, RTD is doing a great job providing service between larger neighborhoods (e.g. Flatiron Flyers) and within cities. The bus service inside Longmont is ontime (and for now, free, subsidized by Longmont City). The connecting regional buses are also on-time, and clean! The within-city service is decent and good as well. It's tough to run a Transit agency in a town where so many people drive, but they're doing well. Keep it up. read more

Always late, both busses and Lightrail, always. You can never rely that they will arrive on time.

Worst ever!! Late, delays, 15 min ride took 45 minutes due to stacked trains. ETA changed and alternative was catch two buses instead at over an hour. Never again. I'll pay gas and parking for never having to deal w this again. Worst public transit ! read more

The most overpriced RTD and the priciest in the entire country, literally. The cost of getting back and forth from Rock Island to Chicago on the Metra, the width of IL, is the same price as a regional ticket book for the same number of days. This is a corrupt scam and must be held accountable. read more

I had a very poor experience with RTD departing from the Airport station late at night. I purchased my ticket with a minute before train departure and was standing at the door while one of the workers looked at me and refused to open the door. He held up his finger saying "wait one minute" and I assumed he was going to open it for me, but a minute passed (while I knocked) and he refused to look my way. Then, the train departed, leaving me (a female traveling alone in a new city) on the platform with no one around. I was confused at why this happened when I was clearly wanting to board (and able to do so as I stood at the boarding door), and was even told by the security guard nearby that that was the "closest call he's ever seen". Fast forward to a week later when I try to get my money back for a ticket I never used (as I ended up calling for an Uber). The RTD does not return money spent on tickets, even unused ones, even in extraordinary circumstances. I was told that they'd send me a free ride pass for a day, for the next time I was in Denver. It absolutely makes no sense that there is not a refund policy for this. Despite the fact that $10 is not a lot of money, the entire situation is frustrating. I will not be riding (or attempting to ride) the RTD ever again. read more

no security on sunday?? central park station denver wow no cameras!!!! who ever is reading this i got rob waiting for the 43 bus im 71 yrs old and this is no security in sunday thats terrible terrible you need to address this problem quickly i could have been hurt read more

I don't often take the bus in Denver but I almost always take the bus when I go to the 16th Street Mall. In that regard I love the fact that the bus ride is a free bus ride! So in that regard, four stars. However earlier this year a former coworker of mine got hit by an RTD bus that ran a red light and he and his fiance got killed! I hope the person that drove that thing got and still is in lots of trouble. Yes, I am aware people make mistakes but to go so fast AND go through a red light and hit another car and kill people in the process is unacceptable. These bus drivers literally have the the lives of their passengers in their hands and have the responsibility to be very conscientious drivers. I am glad this is an exceptional situation and not the norm for RTD. read more

SHAME on RTD for not requiring riders to wear a mask. There are a lot of disabled and elderly people who depend on RTD for transportation. A bus driver in Detroit died after contracting COVID19 from a rider. I highly recommend bus drivers to boycott and refuse to drive until RTD requires riders to wear a mask. Seriously poor management contributing to the spread of COVID19 throughout the Denver metro area. And of course the drivers should wear a mask as well however, I believe they are already doing this. read more

Just a heads up, do not lose anything on buses in Boulder, Co. I lost a glove on FF1 that I hopped on for a short ride to baseline and Broadway for errand and dropped Nice ski glove as I was exiting. I didn't realize till I hopped off bus. It never made it to lost and found. Ironically, I turned in a glove to Skip bus driver that never made it to Lost and found. A few days later (I'm on a roll) I lost a Jlabs earbud which I'm sure will not make it to lost and found either. I've called RTD"lost and found" several times and find it interesting that they don't have any gloves showing up this time of year. It's becoming clear that drivers are disposing of lost items (even customer service states this fact). RTD doesn't care enough about customers to give them then 10 days allowed to recover items lost on their buses. Should I mention the lousy attitudes most of the drivers seem to exhibit, even when passengers greet and thank them. This type of attitude seems to be the norm these days. I'm rethinking purchasing a pass. Sounds unimportant to those who live on disposable income but for me a disabled veteran on fixed income... read more

Overall great service throughout the years. Lost my smart phone and they did retrieve. Busses can be off on time schedules

Just got a talking to by an RTD "officer". Guess what? I'm not going to activate my ticket until I'm on the GD train because of the multiple times I've activated it and YOU DIDN'T SHOW UP. Also, you're not my real dad. #furtd read more

The typical 40min train from Union Station to Denver international took 2hrs and 15 mins. Nearly everyone on the train missed our flights. I missed my international flight ($260) and then had to buy another last minute ($374). Called and they said they can offer a $10.50 refund. Ouch. Might be worth it to buy the $90 Uber to the airport. read more

Driver almost run into me and my family on 16th street and arapahoe, and he had red light. We were walking and had 4sec to cross the street. A bunch of asssssssholes. Pressing charge with police. Camera filmer the tram driver . read more

Inappropriate for your manager to laugh as my son and I where giving a response and asked to speak with management. Both of us don't understand why??? Also probably need customer service training. Was told it was impossible to change my pickup however 2 seconds later it became possible. Yes, I did get upset, I'm irritated and your supervisor is laughing, NOT A JOKE!! read more

Absolute joke. Do yourself a favor and just walk the miles. Passenger trains have been around for over 100 years and these clowns still find away to mess this up. After standing still for almost two hours, captive only five blocks from our Union Station destination, I would have doubled my fare for the crew to allow me the sweet relief of jumping in front of the functioning trains on the other tracks. Two thumbs down, would not recommend. read more

RTD is a great form of transportation and more people should ride it. The streets are crowded with cars and bikes as more people move in (not as bad as some cites) and buses and trains are a great solution. I have been riding for years now and I feel not much has changed other than the price and the routs. What is good and bad or could be improved upon (warning some opinions here, lol): -There really needs to be more staff. It feels l like they are pushing the workers that they do have to exhaustion and I heard this from actual drivers (granted, it is a "government" job (not a very great job to have in general). It is like some of them are hooked on only the money (sure money is great). Many of the drivers do a marvelous job and they deserve some respect. However, respect should go both ways from passenger to driver and driver to passenger (customer). -Some of the bus stops have no shelter or even a bench and not even at the next few stops over. Would not mind a place to sit down. -The app is wonderful and not so wonderful. Sometimes it works very well to the point I am impressed. It does not work on all bus stops though due to other buildings obstructing the connection. Sometimes it is not accurate and can be very misleading on where the next bus is. I missed buses because it told me that they were on time or running late (instead they were early). -Maybe more bike racks if that is even possible (especially on bike to work day). It is hard to see a biker not able to get onto the bus because there is no room. I understand that bikes should not be allowed on the bus especially if it busy. But I get confused about unfolded strollers and carts, why they are allowed on? -Then there is the monthly pass issue. An easily lost or destroyed bit of paper. If you can ensure a pizza why can you get insurance on your pass? I understand that some random person could pick up the one you lost and use it. That only adds to the problem. There is no identification on it so it could easily be stolen. It would probably be better to make it digital than into a $99 bit paper that you have to be responsible (not all us humans are that responsible every day (we are far from "perfect")) for every month (It is 2018, would think lots of this would be figured out by now). Not trying to complain but I feel there are issues that could be resolved. Thank you for reading. Good luck travailing and try not too go crazy. read more

RTD is Denver's Metro Transportation System. For the most part it's a pretty good transportation system as it serves it's purpose to the city. They have a free mall ride -tram that takes you down 16th street where the restaurants, shops and street vendors are located. I'd don't know for sure, but It's probably well known because it's a gateway into the city's capital from the air-port and union station. At any rate, I had an unfortunate experience with one of the tram drivers. The Tram boards passengers at the Civic Center which is where I started to get on. The light had not changed green and he shut the doors, and wouldn't let me board. Even after sitting on the tram for a good minute, he refuse to let me on. I ask could he open the doors and he ignored me. The light changed green and he took off. So, I decided to run to the next stop and boarded the tram when he open the doors. He was a racist ass. R.T.D. (Racist. Transportation. Drivers) Yup! read more

RTD runs one of the best transportation networks in the country, despite support by contractors building rail lines and other transit projects RTD has going. I just read the north N Line maybe delayed again due to the failure of the contractor Balfour Beatty and Graham (dba RRP for RTD projects) to meet project milestones for completion. I as a RTD consumer and supporter believe this to be extreme breach of contract and task the contractor with completion of N Line for Spring 2020 opening. RTD will always have my support, I am just tired of the private sector contractors that believe they can just seemingly blowoff schedules they knowingly will benefit the public by being able to utilize more rail lines. Get the projects done RRP! read more

Rtd is a joke. All they do is apologize about how bad they suck. Always with an excuse. "Driver shortages" pay a motherfucker a good wage and guess what, problem solved, but then there wouldn't be all that extra money for cocksuckers and crooked politicians to line their fucking pockets. I followed the trip planner and now because rtd sucks ass I'm at least an hour late to work. Oh well, I know, you're sorry. Sorry shit no accountability company. Wonder if my bosses will let me slide with daily sorrys if my work sucked as bad as rtd? Fuck no. Oh here's a train, oh, not a fucking e. Oh well. Their sorry... fuck off rtd!!! I heard one time rtd stood for reason to drive, couldn't be more true. We should show how RTD how sorry we are and quit paying our fares and fuck them Demand free rides you get what you pay for!!! read more

Rarely a decent experience. The bus schedules are not synchronized and I have on multiple occasions missed buses by literally 10 seconds, seeing them drive off as the bus I'm riding on pulls into the station. Other times I've had buses literally drive right past me at the bus stop, not even slowing down. If it were not for necessity I would not ride RTD at all read more

RTD is garbage absolutely the worst public transit service in the country. Not really what you would expect considering they have the highest fares. The 11 is never on time the trains are trash, drivers are rude and usually don't even know their routes. They take advantage of lower income people who can't afford to drive, muh ridership is down but we will still continue to provide a sub par service. 0 stars you suck RTD read more

Bank on one inconvenience after another with this poor excuse for a public transportation option. Anywhere from the following: 1. Not showing up on time to scheduled stops. 2. Drivers who stomp on the gas and break causing people to fall and injure themselves. 3. Failing to provided enough parking at stations. 4. Failing to provide overhangs to protect patrons from the blazing Colorado sun. 5. Putting a limit on how many coins can be used to purchase tickets (so incredibly stupid). 6. Security guards who will ticket you for not having a ticket when the credit card machines aren't working. 7. Not responding to customer complaints when contacted directly. 8. Obscene fair hikes that put a burden on those with a fixed income. To a myriad of other damnable offenses. It's sad that this monopoly is allowed to operate. Denver fails in so many ways, but this is one of the biggest and most epic. read more

Few things first the complaints: I wish that they would make it WAY cheaper. If that did im sure that more people would ride it. Also, they address consistently late and since of e drivers are rude and awful. I've had drivers actually miss my stop when I requested a stop. But I will admit.. that I've had some really great drivers. There's one un particular that has been amazing. The rest aren't ro bad depending on who it is. read more

Buses run late or not at all. You can't depend on their schedules. Very slow regional routes.

Don't rely on this transit system never on time and I'm talking light rail, that's if they even run at all, 2 cancellations and 2 that just never showed up before I realized maybe I should call an uber read more

Honestly the worst public transportation I've ever experienced in any part of the world. Zero concern for their customers at ridiculous prices. Take an Uber, Lyft, taxi, or literally any other form of transport instead. read more

RTD may be the single thing that holds Denver back from becoming a great city. It's not that RTD is necessarily bad, it's just that it's very poorly managed and is its own biggest enemy when it comes to expanding transit in Denver. Just compare Denver's public transportation to that of other large cities. I've visited Seattle, Portland, Boston, and Washington DC. All of those cities are of a similar size of Denver, but all have much better public transit. Seattle, for example, didn't even have any light rail when I visited yet it had plentiful, punctual and round-the-clock bus service that took you most anywhere in the city for a pretty good price. Denver has RTD which continues to raise fares and cut service. I understand that times are difficult for governmental organizations but RTD has proven that it is managed quite poorly. For example, it contracts its fuel at odd times so it doesn't take advantage of lower fuel rates when they happen. And its board members have billed taxpayers for travel and hotel expenses that raises questions about how they are spending public funds. And then there is FasTracks. It's supposed to expand our light rail and heavy rail lines by over a hundred miles but due to poor RTD planning and increased costs it may never be finished. The agency is planning to ask taxpayers for more funds, but residents will likely be rightly concerned about why the last tax hike wasn't enough even though RTD promised it would be. There are also lots of small but annoying things about RTD. Like why for example they charge $5 simply to ride a light rail train from downtown to the end of the line, when a bus that covers similar distance (and most assuredly cost more to RTD) has a cheaper fare? Or why RTD has yet to implement a smart-card system even though they have been planning it for more than five years? A lot of bus lines are also strangely organized with some trips only going partial distances and with a lack of service during weekends and nights. I want Denver to have a world-class transit system as much as anyone. But RTD simply isn't providing the best service to its customers and beyond that is continuing to cut service and increase fares. Denver should demand a lot more from its transit agency. Because RTD itself is only offering mediocrity. read more

Took the Denver - Broomfield bus with a friend for the first time today. Precious I know. Put in a $20 bill to pay for the cost of two return tickets from the 1st Bank center. I asked about 500 questions before paying because, yes, I am that person. Put in my $20 and then the bus driver yawned and told me he couldn't give out any change!!! And he also couldn't give me a return ticket! Same thing happened to a few other people on the bus. Apparently there is a teeny sign that my knees were supposed to read while I was boarding. Medieval-esque payment system makes me want to throw something at someone which is just plain dangerous on a bus. read more

RTD needs to get its shit together. Paper schedule, website, hotline and posted schedules at stops are all different. And the 76 to Stapleton is a joke, yesterday the sod blows right past a stop with five people waiting, (when I called to file the complaint I was told I would be contacted by the supervisor later that day. No, that never happened.) And then today the bus is way early and pulls off as I'm running up to catch it. I work on my feet for twelve hour, overnight shifts. The last thing I need when I'm trying to get home and into bed before my next shift, is to have to sit around for another bus, and pay an additional fare on top of the two zones I've already paid, all because RTD employees idiots... So thank you for being incompetent. read more

RTD has one job: Make it easy to ride. They fail miserably at this despite being paid a ridiculous amount of tax payer money. I got lectured for attempting to pay a $13 bus fare with two $5 regional vouchers and a $5 bill (overpaying by $2)... Apparently you are required to pay with exact cash on the bus, because you can't purchase this fare at a machine in the station (like any sane public transit system would allow)... and even if you could, you might miss the bus anyway because of their ridicuously slow payment processing machines (which don't accept credit cards, but they do accept dollar coins!) Technically I shouldn't have to take the bus to the airport, because I'm paying extra taxes for FastTracks, which was supposed to build rail service up to where I live... but RTD screwed the pooch and realized too late that they wouldn't be able to afford to lease the tracks from Santa Fe Railway.. So they're trying to claim they'll have "Bus Rapid Transit" service in my area instead, but the service they plan to offer doesn't meet the minimum standard to be classified as BRT... Bottom line for RTD: Don't lecture people on how to pay a bus fare when they're trying to pay you MORE than the required fare to use your service to catch a flight. read more

I have taken my fair share of busses (now reviewing individual routes, so check them out or add your own!). As a writer, I am a people watcher, so I have noticed that many of the RTD busses have the same group of people on any route, at any time. First, there is the elderly man or woman who knows more about RTD than the driver does. If someone is confused about where to get off, have no fear: old people are here! (That sounds a bit discriminatory, but it is not. I promise, I am accepting of all people!). There are the business professionals who seem slightly embarrassed to be taking public transportation, and/or they feel afraid for their lives. They recoil into a tight ball against the wall of the bus, anxiously awaiting their stop. They make sure that their trousers and skirts are still in impeccable condition as they line the seats with some sort of seat protection (okay, I have never seen this done, but I would not be surprised if it happened). There are the hoodrat teenagers, who flock to the back of the bus to obnoxiously sing, laugh, and talk excessively about how much they hate (insert significant other's, brother's, sister's, parent's, teacher's, parole officer's name here). There are the college students who do not particularly mind riding the bus. There are many subgroups here, but that may take a millennium to discuss. There is at least one person talking on their cell phone who feels that it is necessary to talk AS LOUD AS THEY CAN because they cannot hear on the bus. They clearly ignore the sign at the top of the bus that has four angry people staring you down, instructing you to keep cell phone calls quiet and to a minimum. Usually, there is a little boy or girl who is so excited to ride the bus. They run down the aisle, dragging their guardian behind them, calling the whole bus's attention to them. It is cute, so I will let it slide. Lastly, there is the person that I am sure we all hate: the sick person. The one or two people who seem to be coughing/ sneezing up a lung ALWAYS find a way to sit next to YOU. You let one sneeze go and tell them, "Bless you." They thank you, and manage to stay quiet for a few seconds. Then the loogey waterworks come along, and the nasty tissues or handkerchiefs come out. Yikes. I like the RTD system because of the many places it can take you, in the city, in the suburbs, or even to the booneys. Some lines could run a bit later and more frequently, but oh well. They are trying to save costs. One last thing: RTD won best public transit system in North America for 2008, the 3rd time they have won this honor. Congratulations. read more

During one of the recent snow storms, I opted to take RTD back from the airport. Having been accustomed to mass transit in NY, Chicago, and even LA. I was shocked to board the bus and hear the fare was $9!! Seriously? I was mildly aware the fare INCREASED on the light rail, the further you needed to travel, but was unaware they charged a similar hike at the airport. After the lengthy trip to the first light rail station, the blizzard was in full effect to the point of not being able to see the end of the platforms. There was no shelters from the storm on the platforms and I and the few other riders took refuge in the glass elevators. My 2 transfers took over 45 minutes each. When all was said and done, a 45 minute drive took me 3hrs and cost more than to PARK at the airport for the two days I was away. This is not much of an incentive to take public transportation. read more

I take the bus and my bus drivers are usually very nice. They seem to learn their regular riders and that is great. They usually come about on time, but I mean, you can't complain too much about that because this is life and in life there is traffic. Cars have that same problem too and you are more likely to be murdered in a car (I think). THAT BEING SAID: Why can't RTD get the same GPS technology that uber has so that if your bus is running late, you know this (and can see how quickly it IS coming), so that you don't have to stand outside in subfreezing temperatures? I know exactly when my dominos pizza is arriving, but I am living in the 90s when it comes to bus predictability. read more