RTD shares plan to keep customers safe and increase ridership in 2026
The Regional Transportation District, also known as RTD, is sharing its safety plans for 2026. These are focused on customer experience, infrastructure improvement, employee safety and financial resources.
CEO and General Manager Debra Johnson says the agency had a strong 2025, but much has to be done to continue to have a safe transit service in 2026, starting with customer experience.
Johnson says RTD has received mostly positive critiques from a feedback survey hosted at the end of 2025. More than 1,200 people responded to it.
She says to better customer experience, Google Pay, Apple Pay and Samsung Pay were introduced in 2025, making it easier for customers to pay. Later in 2026, the agency will introduce American Express and Discover card options.
The agency will continue to provide transit options for big events, including sporting events and concerts. It also plans to provide more transit options for anyone heading to Ball Arena, Empower Field, National Western Center Complex and theater districts.
RTD says infrastructure improvements are also coming this year. Johnson says all of the critical work, including the Downtown Rail Reconstruction Project, is done, but more work is expected in mid-2026. The goal is to ensure the aging 30-year-old infrastructure is replaced with new infrastructure that lasts 30 more years. So far, the A line has seen the biggest improvements in ridership.
The agency says it wants to continue bolstering employee safety. Right now, there are live-looking cameras on all of its buses. The buses also have operator barriers to keep drivers safe. The next step is adding cameras to all forms of transit, which RTD expects to be completed this year.
With RTD swearing in its new Police Chief, Steve Martingano, the agency says good changes have come to the department. Johnson says calls for service for drug use and crimes have decreased. The department increased from 20 sworn officers in 2022 to 106 sworn officers as of Jan. 2026. The goal is to have 150 sworn officers.
"We have had less calls for service," Johnson said. "We have not had the same level of vandalism and people sleeping in facilities."
RTD is also working on managing financial resources. Their primary source of revenue is sales and use tax, which accounts for about 70%. The agency receives 20% grant dollars from the federal government and 5% from fares.
The agency is currently working on a plan that might provide buses to events like the Bolder Boulder 10K. These plans will be released in February 2026.
