RTD Denver considering new fare policies

The Regional Transportation District of Denver (RTD) is exploring a series of changes to its fare system as a result of feedback from a series of public meetings held last fall, the agency announced in a blog post on its website.

The possible changes to be considered include all-day passes, Deborah Mendez-Wilson, RTD's senior community outreach specialist, wrote in the blog post.

The new all-day passes would allow riders to pay a flat rate of $5.20 and ride any mode of transportation throughout the day. The price would be dropped to $2.60 for seniors, students aged 6 to 19 years old, and disabled riders.

"RTD has been committed to listening to public input and will continue to do so as the fare study moves forward this year," Mendez-Wilson wrote in her blog. "We've already taken into consideration some of the public input we received and have incorporated it into proposed fare policy changes, including recommendations that we eliminate transfers and light-rail zones altogether."

The agency is also looking into a proposal to implement a "pay-per-boarding" system that calls for riders to pay every time they board a vehicle.

RTD is in the midst of a fare study program prior to the opening of five new transit lines in 2016. The agency will hold 16 additional public hearings as part of the study. RTD's board is expected to vote on the changes in late April or early May.