Colorado town of Castle Rock to begin offering free transit services in July

Free transit services are coming to another town in Colorado starting July 31. 

Link on Demand is the service that will provide residents with free rides. This service is related to Uber and Lyft, but it's free. The City of Castle Rock says that, along with services in Lone Tree, Parker and Highlands Ranch, it is now Castle Rock's turn.

Link on Demand launched in Lone Tree about a decade ago. The service launched in Highlands Ranch about a year ago. It has already completed more than 130,000 rides. Three months ago, the service launched in Parker. It has already completed 5,000 rides. 

When Link on Demand launches in Castle Rock on July 31, there will be eight vehicles around town. Two of them will be wheelchair accessible. These services can be used for everything, including getting to school, grocery stores, concerts and even restaurants. These services can be used throughout Douglas County cities. 

Officials say what they hear the most is the need for transit in Castle Rock, so this is their next step to fix this issue. 

"I have been with the county for a number of years, and when we go talk to our residents, especially our vulnerable population, we hear all the time their need for transit services," Rand Clark with Douglas County Community Services said. "This is especially needed down in a place like Castle Rock. This is a great opportunity."

The town says at its regularly scheduled business meeting on July 14, the Douglas County Board of Commissioners voted to approve a contract for $1.9 million to expand the Link On Demand service south into Castle Rock. Funding for the program will come from the road and bridge sales and use tax revenue allocated for transit and mobility projects. The Town of Castle Rock will contribute $400,000 toward services in its town.

There will be a ribbon cutting to celebrate the new service on July 30 at the Castle Rock Town Hall between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m.

The Link on Demand service will launch on July 31 at 7 a.m. 

The availability of the service includes:

• Monday through Thursday: 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
• Friday: 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.
• Saturday: 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.
• Sunday: Closed

More information on the service is available here.