Denver RTD to make updates to its Access-on-Demand program
Updates are coming to the Denver Regional Transportation District (Denver RTD)’s Access-on-Demand program. These changes come as costs for Denver RTD to provide the subsidy for the service continue to go up at a rate of 3% a month, a figure that stretched beyond $1.2 million in August. According to Denver RTD, costs to provide wheelchair accessible vehicle (WAV) services adds approximately $1 million per month. Denver RTD moved towards restructuring the program to ensure its fiscal sustainability following a third-party review conducted last year.
Changes to the program will include instituting a standard per trip fare of $4.50, or $2.25 for LiVE eligible customers. Presently, Denver RTD has been covering up to $25 a trip for up to 60 trips a month, with customers paying the amount beyond the subsidy. With the board-approved updates to the program, the agency will scale back its contribution to $20 per trip, but still retain the 60-trip monthly subsidy. Customers will still be able to book trips with up to two stops without an additional base fare being assessed or an additional trip counting toward the 60-trip subsidy cap.
Further adjustments to the program include a two-hour reduction in service availability to bring the paratransit service to parody with Denver RTD’s fixed-route service. The new service hours will stretch from 3:30 a.m. to 1:30 a.m., a reduction the agency says will impact less than one percent of trips taken with the service.
Access-on-Demand program analysis
The agency has experienced an increase of 306% in the amount appropriated at the program's inception at the beginning of 2023. Active Access-on-Demand users have increased from 2,191 in October 2023 to 3,398 in August 2025. Agency staff proposed modifying the program to protect its fiscal sustainability in 2026 to mitigate the impacts of rising costs. Denver RTD notes that increases in Access-on-Demand WAV trips provided using in-house vehicles has affected traditional Access-a-Ride shared-ride service. Between June and August 2025, on-time performance for the service dipped from above 90% to 83%.
Timeframe for updating Access-on-Demand
The program updates for the service will take effect on Jan. 1, 2026, to ensure paratransit riders can be notified of and prepared for changes to the program.
Extensive evaluation
Denver RTD commissioned an American Public Transit Association Paratransit Peer Review in February 2024 to seek out ways to improve services and protect the program’s financial stability. Through a series of briefings and interviews with Denver RTD employees, contractors, paratransit customers and community stakeholders, panelists were able to assess the program and determine how to move forward. Denver RTD’s Operations, Safety and Security (OSS) Committee were presented with recommendations in November 2024.
The agency also gathered further feedback from paratransit customers, interested parties and board members to review the proposed Access-on-Demand scenarios and assessed 21 other Access-on-Demand programs during its analysis. Denver RTD determined the program would need a fare, updated service hours and adjusted service area to help fortify the program going forward.