RTD potentially faces increasing fares

At the beginning of each school semester a line snakes around the information desk with students waiting, class schedules in tow, to receive the semester RTD sticker.

According to the RTD website, more than 60,000 students in the Denver Metro Area utilize their transportation services each year. For those who don't have this pass, the standard fares may be rising—and soon.  News postings on RTD-denver.com state that charging additional fares for RTD services will potentially rectify an anticipated budget cut in 2011. Sales tax revenue, RTD's main source of funding, has decreased. Charging more money for services is one of the methods used to make up for the financial shortage. The price increase decision is pending the approval of the RTD Board of Directors, and the vote will take place in October. If passed, rates could face an increase ranging from 25 cents to $1.00.

The increase will depend on each type of service, as some express routes will be raised by 50 cents, versus a regular bus route price increase of 25 cents.  Auraria Campus students bypass any financial increases due to the aforementioned RTD student pass. Students pay a nominal cost that is implemented into their overall fees each semester (at this time, fees are not to exceed $61.00 per student, per semester) and receive unlimited bus and light rail service in all fare zones.  The pass is voted into student use through a process that starts with RTD. Jack Kroll, Inter-Campus Student Forum Chair for the UC Denver Student Government Association explained the process.

"RTD looks at any cost increase they have experienced as a company. They also look at the number of students who use the college pass. A fee for the pass is determined based on these numbers and presented to the Student Advisory Committee to the Auraria Board. The Board then organizes the campus wide vote to continue the use of the College Pass for Auraria students," Kroll said. 

So far, each semester students have voted to keep the pass. This pass cuts costs for UCD chemistry student Trinity Wilson as she commutes daily from Thornton to Denver, saving her money in ways that wouldn't be an option if she weren't a student at Auraria.

"This semester I'll be on campus from Monday through Friday," she said. "For parking alone, that saves around $20.00 a week for even the cheapest parking lot. Over the course of a semester that averages around 14 weeks. That's a lot of money."

Single mother Nina Gallegos is not currently enrolled in school and doesn't see the value in RTD after figuring in the frequent price hikes and timing inconveniences that she has encountered in the past.

"The light rail is cheaper than driving, but certainly not faster. Rather than rushing to catch a bus or train that might be more costly than the last time I used it for travel, I'd rather drive."

The current prices of the regular non-discounted monthly passes for busses are $164 dollars for regional use, and an additional $164 for regional light rail use. When informed of these prices, Gallegos was shocked.

"So you pay $60.00 for a sticker that lets you use RTD for around five months, and if I were to pay full price I'd be paying $164? When you add up all the costs of the individual passes, the price just seems outrageous. And they're thinking of raising the fares? I'd probably pay less in gas than the bus fares."

Students on the Auraria Campus might not be immediately affected by the potential price increases.

However, upon graduating, some might be surprised at the rates for monthly RTD passes. Fare increase could equate to pricey bus and light rail rides in the near future. Until that time, students will be waiting in the long lines for sticker that saves them hundreds of dollars over the course of a semester.

For information about the price increases, public meetings will be held in Denver on September 16th and 23rd. For times and locations, visit RTD-denver.com.