Denver RTD seeking feedback on high-volume event service
The Denver Regional Transportation District (RTD) has issued a request for feedback from riders, stakeholders and the public to aid the agency in developing a plan to improve its transit services for high-volume events. The agency is offering an online forum for commentary, along with a preview of the stops, stations and plans it already has in place for major events.
“Every year, hundreds of events and activities take place around the Denver metro area,” said Denver RTD COO Patrick Preusser. “Millions of Coloradans and visitors attend these events, and we want to have a leading role in supporting their access and mobility. Whether it’s getting fans to the big game, music lovers to a much-anticipated concert or families to a seasonal celebration, our mission is to make lives better through the connections we provide.”
The webpage also hosts information about a board resolution adopted on Oct. 28 to form a strategy for high-volume event service. The resolution includes requirements for plan creation, including the necessary staffing levels and financial resources, revenue projection estimates, sponsorship opportunities, marketing strategy and federal regulations and requirements. The agency aims to finalize and share the plan in February 2026, get board approval by March and reach the implementation phase by May.
Denver RTD says it works for a balanced approach when preparing for large events, focusing on its riders and the community, further noting that partnerships, coordination and communication are key to its efforts. The agency says it prepares for large events by monitoring several metro area calendars and venue schedules to flag activities that are taking place near transit, creating a lookahead calendar. This enables the agency to create plans that ensure safe, reliable and rider-focused services. The agency uses anticipated crowd sizes to plan for demand peaks and optimize service delivery to supplement its normal offerings. The agency also monitors platforms both virtually and in-person for proactive crowd control and service adjustments before and after large events.
Denver RTD also launched special destination terms as a trip planning resource for passengers in 2023 as part of its trip planning app. The event-specific terms are available in the Next Ride app and cut out the need to know a venue’s name or address. Riders can enter key words, like the name of the artist, band, sports team or other related terms as their destination and get routed directly there. In December 2024, Denver RTD integrated JamBase into the app, allowing for the integration of concert data to be automatically fed into the trip planning tool.
“As we prepare for the future, we are building on our successes, celebrating what we’ve achieved together and learning from our experiences,” Preusser said. “By evaluating our work and refining our processes, we will continue to deliver high-quality service and drive continuous improvement. We want to be the first choice when a customer is planning a trip and traveling to and from an event.”