RTD saw a 52% drop in security-related calls last month | | |
RTD is seeing measurable results after a yearlong focus on bolstering law enforcement, upgrading facilities, and adding bus and train enhancements to improve the personal safety and security of its customers and employees.
At the top of the agency's list of strategies is an increased number of Transit Police officers patrolling the system, an effort that has now resulted in both a month-over-month and year-over-year decrease in security-related calls. In February 2024, RTD logged 4,460 calls, and that number was cut in half to 2,134 calls in February 2025. Similar month-over-month decreases have been observed going back to July 2024, shortly after RTD implemented 24/7 patrols and gained momentum in recruiting additional police officers.
| | James “Cowboy” Mohan, General Landscaper, 30 years | | | | “I’m an outgoing kind of person, I’m a hardworking person, dedicated to the company. I’m a good family person. I like to try new things and different things that inspire me to get better. I’ve been doing quite a few things by myself, but if I need help, guys are helping me." | | |
Why RTD? | Meet Eryn Grover | | RTD is celebrating Women’s History Month by highlighting its employees who contribute to RTD’s mission of making lives better through connections. Each week, RTD is sharing a short video featuring an employee sharing what it’s like to be a part of the agency. Today, meet Eryn Grover, Learning Administrator, Human Resources. Click the thumbnail above to watch the video. |
| | | Imagine it’s a warm, cloudless Saturday morning. The sun is rising over the eastern plains, the westerly breeze shakes the leaves in the trees and the birds sing their morning songs. For many, that would be a nice and pleasant start to the day. For Information Systems Risk Analyst Anne Gurley, it’s her call to grab the binoculars and figure out just what kind of birds are making those noises. | | Rocky Mountaineer now operating at Denver Union Station | Tourism train operator Rocky Mountaineer, pictured here during a training exercise last week, begins arriving at and departing from Denver Union Station today. Employees taking part in a training trip left Denver this morning and will return March 31. The company’s operating season, which begins April 9 and extends to Nov. 19, will include two round-trip departures per week during peak operations and one round-trip departure per week during off-peak times in the summer months. The train is scheduled to depart at 9 a.m. and arrive at 5 p.m. on Track 5. For more information about Rocky Mountaineer, which has operated luxury train journeys in Denver since 2021, visit www.rockymountaineer.com. | | East Metro hosts celebration for Transit Employee Appreciation Day | | Last Tuesday, on Transit Employee Appreciation Day, East Metro celebrated its employees by providing snacks, drinks and comradery in appreciation of all the work they do to make lives better through connections. | | Market Development hits the street to promote pass program | From left, Market Development consultants Liliana Avila and Reina Cubias, along with Market Development Supervisor Jyotsna Khattri, conducted outreach yesterday to downtown businesses to promote the RTD Business EcoPass Program. The team dropped off flyers and spoke about how the EcoPass works, as well as the benefits it provides for a business and its employees. | | Every day across the Denver metro area, RTD employees are making lives better through connections. The agency is proud to spotlight our exceptional workforce who go above and beyond in their roles and embody RTD’s core values. Join us in celebrating colleagues who personify the values of passion, respect, diversity, trustworthiness, collaboration and ownership. | | Bus operator returns customer's lunch box | |
I want to put a commendation in for my driver from last week, David Gallardo. I had forgotten my lunch box on his bus. He went back to Lincoln Station and brought my lunch box back to me.
> Read more <
| | Information specialist provides rapid response to customer's inquiry | |
Sharra Bennett provided excellent customer service. She was very patient. I had her manually plan a trip for me because of an error with the Trip Planner. She quickly gave me the information I needed.
> Read more <
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At last night’s monthly meeting, the RTD Board of Directors unanimously approved action to provide policy guidance regarding the development and revision of service standards, as well as periodic service performance reporting, the Internal Audit Charter and the proposed 2025-2026 Internal Audit Plan. Additionally, the Board adopted amendments to the Board Operating Guidelines regarding engagement with staff and meeting time management, as well as the May 2025 Title VI service equity analysis and May 2025 service changes. Lastly, the Board referred a resolution providing certain members of the media request fee waivers for Colorado Open Rights Act and Colorado Criminal Justice Records Act requests back to the Executive Committee for further consideration.
The Board heard reports from Chair Julien Bouquet, General Manager and CEO Debra A. Johnson, and external entities.
Click the thumbnail above to watch the meeting.
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Henok Balcha
Bus Operator
Eyasu Berhe
Bus Operator
Johnea Brooks
Bus Operator
Richard Garcia*
Bus Operator
Simon Misgun
Bus Operator
Wondowssen Robi
Bus Operator
Angel Rodriguez*
Bus Operator
Allen Scruggs
Bus Operator
Abel Shgutie
Bus Operator
Ashenafi Wolde
Bus Operator
Girmay Beyene
Bus Operator
Joshua Bjerke
Bus Operator
Michael Brooks
Bus Operator
Meredith Campbell
Bus Operator
Tafese Denbor
Bus Operator
Zemed Gebremedhim
Bus Operator
Abdoulaye Keita
Bus Operator
Zerihun Mekuria
Bus Operator
James Moore
Bus Operator
Anthony Mosley
Bus Operator
Justin Regina
Bus Operator
Joseph Smith
Bus Operator
Roslyn Stubblefield
Bus Operator
Rusty Weber
Bus Operator
Brink Buker
Train Operator
Adam Calhoun
Train Operator
Robert Dinger
Train Operator
Christine Howland
Train Operator
Marew Kelemu
Train Operator
Angela Lurtz
Train Operator
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Jody Martinez
Train Operator
Jared McGee
Train Operator
Jamil Moore
Train Operator
Kelly Moore
Train Operator
Ambrea Munoz-Rodriguez
Train Operator
Austin Shaffer
Train Operator
Shannon Smith
Train Operator
Marlon Wilson
Train Operator
Victor Guimares Pekar
Train Engineer
Christina Hand
Train Engineer
Alex Stallsworth
Train Engineer
Adam Wojdyla
Electro Mechanic LRV
Gonzalo Leanos-Moreno
General Repair Mechanic
Daniel Guerrero
General Repair Mechanic
Joseph Ha
Service Worker
Rosie Estrada
Service Worker
Bessie Lee
Service Worker
Heaven Samora
Service Worker
Sonia Rocha
General Landscaper
Brian Cambra
Transit Police Officer
Mitchell Santiago
Transit Police Officer
Jason Spillis
Transit Police Officer
Julia Dambekaln
Communications Intern
Renee Dodson
Business Support
Ryan Goodale
Transit-Oriented Communities Intern
Travis Neill
Senior Business Analyst
Angel Peña
Deputy Chief Executive Officer
Carlos Vazquez
Overhead Catenary System Supervisor
Shauna Walsh
Budget Analyst
(*) denotes rehire
| | RTD announces TAG awards for 150 organizations | | | | RTD will provide $1 million in grant funding to 150 qualifying nonprofit and community social service organizations or governmental entities as part of the agency’s Transit Assistance Grant (TAG) program. | | Following the success of the TAG program in 2024, under which 181 organizations received grants to support clients’ immediate needs, RTD is continuing the program for a second year. | | March facility safety reports are on the Hub | Safety reports for Boulder, Platte and East Metro are now available on the Hub. These reports contain important information on reported hazards, resolutions and ongoing improvements to safety. Click the link below to review them. | | Customers dish out kudos for RTD employees | Last week, RTD customers were given the opportunity to send messages of encouragement, appreciation and praise to agency employees in honor of Transit Employee Appreciation Day. Click the link below to view all the submissions! | | From Community Engagement: Help empower youth at Future Fest | | | | It’s the final call for Future Fest! Represent RTD and help future scientists, doctors, engineers and businesspeople learn about careers in a fun, family-focused environment. A handful of spots remain. Click the link below to sign up. | | From Capital Programs: Susan Altes retires after 31 years | |
Capital Programs announces the retirement of Susan Altes, Senior Manager of Real Property and an integral RTD team member for 31 years! Her last day will be Friday, April 4.
During her tenure, Altes oversaw the acquisition of properties that are the basis of RTD’s transit system. Without her efforts, no rail lines would extend beyond the Central Corridor. Her agreements and relationships with private owners and with the Colorado Department of Transportation laid the basis of RTD’s Park-n-Ride system along local interstates and highways, as well as securing funding through grants for RTD projects far and wide. Altes’ dedication, hard work and contributions have greatly benefited RTD.
Effective April 5, please route any real property-related matters to Business Support Carmelita Cervantes (Carmelita.cervantes@rtd-denver.com), cc’ing realproperty@rtd-denver.com.
| | Missed Dialogue with Debra? Watch it on the Hub | | | | Last week’s session, held at District Shops, was the first of 2025. During the session, RTD’s new Deputy CEO, Angel Peña, introduced himself to employees before a backdrop of the new “Why RTD” bus, featuring each of the subjects highlighted in the Women’s History Month campaign. | | General Manager and CEO Debra A. Johnson provided a look ahead into the rest of the year for the agency, and she discussed vacant leadership positions, progress on speed restrictions, the 2025 Employee Survey, improvements to on-time performance and impacts from decisions made by the federal government. Click the link below to view the session in its entirety. | | |
On Monday, General Manager and CEO Debra A. Johnson announced in a memo sent agencywide that Brenden Morgan, Senior Manager, Debt and Investments, will serve as acting chief financial officer (CFO), starting at the close of business Friday. This move comes as current CFO Doug MacLeod begins a well-earned retirement after serving the agency for nearly 15 years.
The recruitment to find a permanent CFO is underway, with the position closing Friday. Review the job posting by clicking the link below.
| | RTD has a number of solicitations currently underway or planned for the near future. To view and download current solicitations, see upcoming opportunities, and review pending and awarded contracts, follow the links below. | | | | Debra's Quote of the Week | |
“To me, ‘fearless’ is not the absence of fear. It’s not being completely unafraid. To me, fearless is having fears. Fearless is having doubts. Lots of them. To me, fearless is living in spite of those things that scare you to death.”
– Taylor Swift
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