RTD expands elevator program this month to include Florida, US•36 Broomfield stations | Nine stations are now part of RTD’s Customer Experience Elevator Program, in which public elevator doors at designated locations are reprogrammed to remain open when not in use to reduce unwanted or criminal activity. The public elevators at RidgeGate Parkway and Civic Center stations will be added by the end of the year. “The program demonstrates the effectiveness of environmental design tactics that RTD-PD is employing across the district and contributes to the overall efforts across the system to further enhance safety,” said Chief of Police and Emergency Management Steve Martingano. | | Board of Directors approves policy update Tuesday to restrict advertisements on vehicle windows | The Director-initiated action, which was approved by a 9-4 vote, follows a multi-year push from transit advocates and customers in the Denver metro area to restrict advertising that covers windows. The policy update will apply to advertising agreements entered into after Jan. 1, 2026. Buses and trains that currently have advertising wraps that cover a portion of a vehicle’s windows will remain intact until their individual agreements end. As of Tuesday’s meeting, a total of 48 commuter rail vehicles, 128 light rail vehicles, and 493 buses have advertisements that include varying levels of window coverage. | | | | As commuting patterns evolve post-pandemic, RTD is working to rebuild ridership, improve reliability, and enhance the customer experience across its entire system. The agency’s recent progress, and its plans to roll out new digital tools and customer-focused initiatives, show how RTD is adapting to meet the needs of its customers – now and in the future. | | Click below to learn about commuting and transit use trends, as well as the forthcoming initiatives and services. These include the introduction of the long-awaited Tap-n-Ride program, a multi-faceted customer experience action plan, and a single mobile application that will combine existing apps such as Next Ride, MyRide, and Transit Watch into one customer-facing app. |
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At last night's monthly meeting, the Board of Directors approved the 2026 Fiscal and 2026 Investment policies; adopted the 2026 Legislative and Government Relations Program; made appointments and reappointments to the Citizens Advisory and Independent Audit committees; and ratified Board Chair Julien Bouquet's appointments to the Finance and Planning, and Performance committees. In addition, the Board voted to amend the System Advertising Policy to prohibit commercial advertising on any portion of the windows of revenue service vehicles for advertising agreements entered into on or after Jan. 1, 2026. Lastly, the Board adopted a resolution that requests key RTD staff members draft a plan to resume high-volume event services in 2026, such as RockiesRide and BroncosRide. The Board postponed discussion regarding reducing director expense allocations to December's Board meeting due to a packet publication error.
Before last night's main meeting, the Board convened for a special Board meeting to approve the agency's 2026 Public Transportation Agency Safety Plan (PTASP).
Click the thumbnail above to watch last night's meeting in full, and click the link below to watch the special Board meeting regarding the PTASP.
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Last week, crews demolished and reconstructed the light rail crossing at Kalamath Street. They poured a concrete leveling slab, placed crossing panels, and installed rail. Over the weekend, they installed reinforced concrete paving and asphalt at the Kalamath Street crossing. The right two lanes of Kalamath Street reopened on Saturday evening, a day ahead of schedule. On Monday, crews began flooding ballast and started tamping and surfacing Track B.
This week, crews are continuing to weld rail, flood ballast, and tamp and surface both tracks. Later in the week, they will perform track-to-earth testing on the installed rail.
| Access Downtown Rail Reconstruction Project reports, progress updates, photos, videos, news and resources about the latest happenings with the project. Click the links below to access the webpage and project Linktree. | | 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. | | Seasoned bus operator clearly communicates scheduled shortened route | The operator, Jimmy Romero, was incredibly communicative, which is appreciated. This was the short turn that only goes to Colfax Avenue and Corona Street, so when I was boarding, the driver confirmed that. | | Bus operator picks up customers from disabled bus to finish trip to Union Station | There was a Route LD1 that broke down that our driver stopped for. Operator Michael Burgoa ensured safety for the responding staff and helped the successful transfer of passengers to our bus. | | |
Ahead of winter weather, mechanics learn vehicle recovery | | Last week, Technical Training Instructors/Supervisors Jon Paul Mitchell and Tim Wallace visited Platte, East Metro, and Boulder divisions to share the latest bus recovery procedures with mechanics. Lessons consisted of recovery truck orientation (i.e., how to start the vehicle and use all the accessories); recovery strap installation; snatch block installation (a heavy-duty pulley that redirects force and multiplies mechanical advantage, enabling a winch to pull heavier loads); and overall safety practices. “At a moment’s notice, any division at any time of the day can and will get called by dispatch to recover a stuck bus, usually during adverse conditions,” Mitchell said. “Our goal is to equip every mechanic with the skills behind the wheels to pull or push our fleet back into service.” | | Staff enjoy costumes, games at Halloween-themed social | | Last Wednesday, RTD employees at Blake Street took a quick break from their computers, meetings, and duties to enjoy games and light refreshments with their colleagues to celebrate Halloween. Costumes were encouraged, with outfits ranging from a bag of Cheetos to pop culture characters to classic Halloween staples such as zombies and witches. | | Welcome to RTD’s newest employees | Twenty-one employees joined the agency at Monday’s orientation. Welcome aboard! | | |
Alene Amare
Bus Operator
Hope Amouzou
Bus Operator
Endalkachew Ayele
Bus Operator
Cesar Enrique Benitez Ruiz*
Bus Operator
James Brooks
Bus Operator
Rodney Brophy*
Bus Operator
Katie Brown
Bus Operator
William Howell
Bus Operator
Ermias Letebo*
Bus Operator
Ramona Parker
Bus Operator
Jeffrey Price
Bus Operator
Mototal Seleshi*
Bus Operator
Moses Silalahi
Bus Operator
Emniel Tessema
Bus Operator
Timothy Weaver
Bus Operator
Selamu Ageno
Bus Operator
Tiesha Colbert
Bus Operator
Solomon Dejene
Bus Operator
Leroy Gonzales
Bus Operator
Fisiha Handiso
Bus Operator
Xavier Harrison
Bus Operator
Patrick O’Brien
Bus Operator
Kapema Ongala*
Bus Operator
Jesus Sanchez
Bus Operator
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Lorna Sheehan
Bus Operator
Alexander Shepard
Bus Operator
Damon Stapleton
Bus Operator
Christopher Stone
Bus Operator
Sarah Sutton
Bus Operator
Quentin Clark
Train Operator
Caleb Crouch
Train Operator
Mercedes Perez
Train Operator
April Leary
Train Operator
Kayla Greathouse
Train Operator
Tibris Hurts
Train Operator
Gabriel Trujillo
General Repair Mechanic
Katia Becker
Business Intelligence Developer
Kyle Cizenski
Senior Project Manager, Cybersecurity
Luis Herrera
Transit Police Officer, Recruit
Daniel Rainey
Systems Administrator
Raphy Bondo Iwondo
Network Engineer
Yessenia Chavez
Transit Police Officer
Brian Dickerson
Public Safety Dispatcher
Douglas Easterwood
Public Safety Dispatcher
Tyler Houston
Systems Administrator, Integrated Security
Michael Hytrek
Transit Police Sergeant
Alyssa Valencia
Collector/Breath Alcohol Technician
(*) denotes rehire
| | Best Dressed Operator of the Week: Jessie Molina | This week’s best dressed operator is Jessie Molina out of Boulder Division. Congratulations, Jessie, and thanks for representing RTD in style! | | Chat with the Chief begins this afternoon at Elati | | | | At 3 p.m. today, employees at Elati can meet with Chief of Police and Emergency Management Steve Martingano in the crew room as he kicks off his Chat with the Chief visits. At these hourlong sessions, the chief will answer employee questions and offer an overview of the Transit Police Department’s current projects and future plans. | | The next Chat with the Chief session will be at 11 a.m. tomorrow, when Martingano will be in the operator break room at East Metro. Click the link below to learn more about the events and view the full schedule. | | Managers: RSVP employees by Nov. 4 for Veterans Day event | |
Time is running out for managers to register their military veteran employees for a special ceremonial recognition breakfast commemorating Veterans Day. By Nov. 4, managers are asked to RSVP for the breakfast on behalf of their military veteran employees by clicking the link below.
Questions can be directed to Business Program Manager Betsy Hinojosa (betsy.hinojosa@rtd-denver.com).
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Join Senior Performance Analyst Ben Celius at noon tomorrow at Blake Street in Conference Room A as he dives into the agency’s new Strategic Initiatives. Snacks and light refreshments will be provided for employees attending the session. Click the link below to RSVP.
Can’t make it? Swing by the Facts-n-Snacks page on the Hub tomorrow afternoon to view a recording of a virtual session from this series.
Please contact Senior Specialist, Public Relations Austin Nettleton (austin.nettleton@rtd-denver.com) with any questions or concerns.
| | RTD holiday pullovers, beanies now on sale for employees | | | | |
Show your love for RTD and get into the holiday spirit by wearing festive RTD-branded winter attire. Back by popular demand, the agency’s online holiday store is now open to purchase winter apparel while supplies last.
This year’s collection features a cozy holiday-themed pullover and matching beanie, adorned with a playful gingerbread house design that evokes the warmth of childhood traditions and winter nostalgia. The items are a perfect way to show RTD pride while staying warm throughout the season.
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RTD employees can forgo shipping costs by entering promo code “EMPSHIP” at checkout, enabling orders to be picked up at the facility where they work. Be sure to enter the operating division’s internal mail code in the Shipping Information section. Doing so will ensure orders are delivered accurately and without delay through RTD’s internal mail system.
Employees unsure of their division’s internal mail address should check with their supervisor or administrative coordinator before completing their order.
Click the link below to secure this year’s holiday items today!
| | Reminder: Open enrollment begins Monday for salaried employees, RTD-PD officers | |
Eligible staff are strongly encouraged to log in to Workday during the open enrollment period taking place Monday through Nov. 17 to make health care benefits selections for 2026. As a reminder, Health Savings (HSA) and Flexible Spending accounts (FSA) must be opted into every year and do not automatically roll over.
Employees can access a 30-minute training module in Workday designed to provide information about RTD benefits and explain the enrollment process.
Please email the Benefits team (benefits@rtd-denver.com) with any questions.
| | Attend a webinar next week to learn how to use tuition benefits offered by RTD | |
One of the many benefits RTD offers its employees includes reimbursement of up to $3,200 per year for the cost of tuition, registration, required textbooks, and fees for courses taken at any nationally accredited college or university offering academic courses toward a certificate, associate, baccalaureate, or post-graduate degree!
Employees can learn how to take advantage of this benefit by attending a webinar hosted by AllCampus, the education partner of RTD’s Learning and Development team. During the webinar, employees will learn about their education benefits, as well as how to find and enroll in programs.
The webinar is at noon Wednesday via Zoom. Click the link below to register.
| | RTD has a number of solicitations currently underway at the agency 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 | |
"I want to tell my daughter this: it pays to persevere. If you persevere for long enough, your dreams may just come true."
— Yang Yue
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