In recognition of National Customer Service Week, RTD celebrates the teams within Customer Care | | |
Oct. 5-11 is National Customer Service Week, a week dedicated to recognizing customer service professionals across the world and their efforts to support their organization’s customers each and every day. At RTD, the Customer Care Division works tirelessly to make the agency’s mission of making lives better through connections a reality for all customers who rely on RTD services to get to where they need to go.
Customer Care is vast, expansive, and covers everything from social media to sales outlets to telephone calls and everything in between. In honor of National Customer Service Week, take a dive into each of the division’s areas and learn how complex the work they do really is.
| | Share your appreciation for the work our Customer Care Division colleagues do every day by submitting messages of gratitude via the Kudoboard link below! | | RTD to receive $44 million state grant to support service | |
RTD customers will see more frequent transit, longer service hours, and new or expanded routes thanks to a $44 million grant being awarded by the Colorado Clean Transit Enterprise (CTE).
RTD estimates the Clean Transit Enterprise grant will support service improvements generating nearly 3.8 million additional transit rides in 2027. As the improvements mature, the agency projects the enhanced service could ultimately support more than 6.5 million additional rides annually.
The grant will support service enhancements on existing or new RTD transit routes throughout the region. Planned improvements include increased frequency and shorter waits on many routes; new, restored or expanded service; and longer service hours on select routes.
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RTD prepares for Premier League Mornings Live fan festival | |
This weekend, Union Station goes British as the Premier League and NBC/USA Sports bring the next Premier League Mornings Live fan festival to the Mile High City.
Thousands of soccer fans will descend into the heart of LoDo Saturday and Sunday and join Premier League Mornings hosts Rebecca Lowe, Robbie Earle, Robbie Mustoe, and former United States Men’s National Team star goalkeeper Tim Howard for a live broadcast of the show, providing commentary and analysis of the day’s Premier League matches taking place across England. Attendees will enjoy live broadcasts of each match, meet-and-greets with Premier League legends, and photo ops with the Premier League trophy and club mascots. They will celebrate the top flight of club soccer with fellow fans from across the state and beyond.
While RTD services are not expected to be affected by the event, access to Union Station, rail platforms, and the underground bus concourse will be limited to key access points. Click the link below to learn how to navigate the event.
| Heading to the fan festival this weekend, or simply a supporter of a Premier League club? Share a photo at the event or wearing your favorite club’s merch with the Inside Connections team (insideconnections@rtd-denver.com) by 4 p.m. Tuesday to be featured in a photo recap of the event in next week’s issue! Please include a brief description of your submission in your email. |
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“I consider myself a strong, hardworking, and caring woman. I care deeply about my family, my friends, and the people around me. That same care guides me at work — I want to do my job well, support others, and make a positive difference.
“People know they can come to me when they need help, and I always try to find a solution."
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Downtown Loop Midblocks
Crews continued progress along Stout Street, completing an embedded track slab concrete pour and advancing filler‑slab work between 14th and 15th streets. Between 15th and 16th streets, crews advanced curb and gutter work, while drainage improvements continued between 16th and 17th streets, including backfilling around a new curb inlet.
Between 17th and 18th streets, crews completed infill and additional curb and gutter work, continued rail welding and elastomeric grout placement, and prepared for upcoming concrete pours. Additional elastomeric grout work advanced at the 18th Street intersection. On California Street, crews began pre‑construction utility work to support the full rail reconstruction, which is anticipated to start as soon as Oct. 12.
Colfax Avenue Alignment
Crews continued work between Seventh and Kalamath streets. Between Seventh and Ninth streets, crews installed and poured concrete bases for new bollards and continued concrete work for embedded track slabs. Between Ninth and Kalamath streets, drainage improvements progressed in preparation for upcoming rail installation and welding.
| | 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 makes up time on route while also driving safely, within speed limits | To say operator Getachew Jiru was outstanding this morning is an understatement! He made up time and was very polite! That's rare these days! Just wanted to acknowledge his efforts. | | Bus operator praised for his kindness helping customer who uses a wheelchair | I just want to bring attention to the care and patience operator Robert Bright gave as he helped a passenger in a wheelchair up the ramp and settled them into the bus. | | GM/CEO participates in APTA TRANSform Conference panel | | In Chicago on Monday, General Manager and CEO Debra A. Johnson joined industry leaders for a panel discussion at the APTA TRANSform Conference, an annual event that brings together 12,000-plus attendees from more than 85 countries. The “Preparing for More Transparency” session in which Johnson participated explored the Federal Transit Administration's new Transit Moves America online tool, as well as what greater public access to safety, security, and performance data means for transit agencies nationwide. | | |
Jarred Wolter
Senior Network Engineer (formerly Senior Virtualization Engineer)
Krista Flynt
Senior Service Planner/Scheduler (formerly Service Planner/Scheduler II)
Luis Hinojo
Supervisor, Track Maintenance (Light Rail) (formerly Track Maintainer)
Katelyn Dunham
HR Business Partner (formerly Labor Relations Specialist)
Brandon Steinkamp
Instructional Designer, Bus Training (O&M) (formerly Lead Instructor)
Moore Maguire
Supervisor, Transit System & Support (Bus) (formerly Lead Street Supervisor)
Kevin Davis
Supervisor, Transit System & Support (Bus) (formerly Lead Division Supervisor, Bus Transportation)
Ray Wagner
Controller, Regional Operations Center (Engineering & Faults) (formerly Supervisor, Transit System & Support (Bus))
Tonya Smith
Controller, Regional Operations Center (Bus) (formerly Supervisor, Transit System & Support (Bus))
Nicodemo Casciato
Controller, Regional Operations Center (Engineering & Faults) (formerly Supervisor, Transit System & Support (Bus))
Ian Nixon
Transit Safety Specialist (formerly Trainer, Rail Maintenance)
Dianah Delgado
Controller, Regional Operations Center (Engineering & Faults) (formerly Supervisor, Transit System & Support (Commuter Rail))
Ryan Miller
Procurement Contract Administrator (formerly Buyer)
Cody Sooter
Manager, Debt and Investments (formerly Manager, Business Analysis)
Daniel Rocha
Controller, Regional Operations Center (Engineering & Faults) (formerly Supervisor, Transit System & Support (Commuter Rail))
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Brian Cousineau
Transit Police Sergeant (formerly Commander, Professional Services)
Gianni Deluca
Transit Police Officer Recruit (formerly Parts Clerk)
Heidi Hansen
Transit Police Sergeant (formerly Transit Police Lieutenant)
Victor Guimaraes Pekar
Controller, Regional Operations Center (Bus) (formerly Train Engineer)
Jennifer Handgen
Controller, Regional Operations Center (Commuter Rail) (formerly Train Engineer)
Jenea Covington-Davis
Assistant Manager, Operations (Bus) (formerly Supervisor, Transit System & Support (Bus))
Christopher Pelton
Transit Police Sergeant (formerly Transit Police Officer)
Michele Metziner
Budget Analyst IV (formerly Budget Analyst III)
Quentin Clark
Specialist, CDL & Support Rail Training (O&M) (formerly Train Operator)
Boubacar Diawara
Supervisor, Transit & Support Systems (formerly Bus Operator)
Marla Bainbridge
Procurement Specialist II (formerly Procurement Specialist I)
Ryan Welsh
Platform Administrator I SharePoint (formerly Technical Support Analyst I)
Rick Hoang
Technical Support Analyst II (formerly Technical Support Analyst I)
Jon Paul Mitchell
Supervisor, Quality Management Systems (O&M) (formerly Trainer, Bus Maintenance (O&M))
Matthew Young
Transit Safety Coordinator (formerly Technician, FM Contracted Public Facilities)
Kyle McCall
Supervisor, Power Maintenance (Commuter Rail) (formerly Traction Power Maintainer-CRT)
| | Any employees interested in similar opportunities in the future should visit RTD's Careers page. | | | October’s Operator of the Month is Jessie Molina from Boulder Division! Molina was chosen after receiving several customer commendations throughout the year that highlighted his frequent timeliness, smooth driving, and willingness to help customers out without hesitation. |
| Best Dressed Operator of the Week: Alfredo Escobedo | This week’s best dressed operator is Alfredo Escobedo from Bus Operator Training! Congratulations, Alfredo! | | |
From Human Resources: RTD no longer offering hiring, referral bonuses as of Nov. 1 | |
Due to current budget constraints, the agency's hiring and referral bonus program will end Nov. 1. Employees hired before Nov. 1 will receive the hiring bonus payout on the following schedule as long as they remain employed with the agency:
- Successful completion of the probationary period
- Six-month anniversary of official hiring date
- One-year anniversary of official hiring date
- 18-month anniversary of the hire date
Employees eligible for the referral bonus before Nov. 1 will receive payouts if the new employee referred successfully completes the probationary period and remains employed at the six-month anniversary of the date of hire.
Please direct questions to Employee and Labor Relations Director Kent Enwright (kent.enwright@rtd-denver.com).
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| From Cybersecurity: Phishing Tournament is underway | |
Each week, employees will receive simulated phishing emails designed to mirror real‑world cyber threats. Those who correctly identify and report the test messages using the Phish Alert Report Button (PAB) in Outlook will advance through the tournament’s knockout rounds.
Participants who make it to the championship round, scheduled for Oct. 25–31, will be entered for a chance to win a prize. The tournament encourages vigilance, strengthens cybersecurity awareness, and rewards employees who stay sharp against potential phishing attempts.
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From Safety and Environmental Compliance: Emergency AEDs available at all RTD facilities | |
RTD's Safety and Environmental team reminds employees that the agency has 41 automated external defibrillators (AEDs) across its facilities and encourages everyone to feel empowered to use them in the event of a cardiac arrest.
Refer to the images linked below to learn how to locate and use an AED, and to recognize the signs of a sudden cardiac arrest (SCA). If an AED is used at any RTD facility or location, please notify the Safety team after the event by calling the Safety Hotline at 303.299.2258 or contacting any Safety staff member.
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From Civil Rights Division, Communications and Engagement: New signature templates are available on the Hub | |
In conjunction with the Civil Rights Division, RTD employees can now include the languages they are fluent in in their official email signature! In RTD’s email signature options, Option 5 includes the statement “I speak [Language]” that users can customize in their language.
This option may be especially useful for employees who regularly communicate with customers, community members, partners, or colleagues from diverse linguistic backgrounds. Letting someone know that they can communicate in their preferred language can help create a more welcoming and accessible experience and make it easier to build connections with the communities the agency serves.
Interested in adding this information to your signature? Click the link below or visit the Hub and click on “Marketing Resources” under the “Tools & Resources” tab. From there, open the “RTD Email Signature” folder, find the Email Signature Options file, and select email signature option 5. Replace the placeholder with the appropriate phrase in the desired language(s). Examples include Hablo español, Je parle français, and я говорю по-русски.
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| 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 | |
"A hero is someone who understands the responsibility that comes with his freedom."
— Bob Dylan
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| What did you think of this edition of Inside Connections? | | | | |
Need to report a concern with a vehicle, bus route, rail line or customer facility? Fill out the OneRTD Care Reporting Form by clicking the link below. |
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