The Regional Transportation District is getting ready to tackle a thorny question about the future of public transportation in metro Denver: Should RTD focus on serving the largest number of riders or the biggest geographic area?

That’s the challenge at the heart of the agency’s upcoming push to analyze how the transit system operates, a project called RTD Connect.

While RTD’s Board of Directors was initially set to hear more in-depth information about those different paths at a work session on Tuesday afternoon, the board canceled the meeting as of Tuesday morning so staffers could put together more examples of how either decision would affect the transit network before presenting them to the board and at stakeholder workshops.

RTD staff were scheduled to travel across metro Denver over the next six weeks to hear from community members, advocacy groups, government leaders and other stakeholders about what they want RTD to look like in the future, but those are also pushed back. Agency officials said Tuesday there is no timeline for upcoming public engagement.

The Board of Directors got a first look at RTD Connect at a board meeting last week, including some of the potential challenges and benefits that will come with prioritizing serving either the most riders or the biggest area.

A transit system that focuses on ridership would mean faster and more frequent service along fewer routes, project manager Doug Monroe told board members last week, and could also mean less pollution, less traffic and more walkable communities.

A coverage-based plan would focus on serving every person and every jurisdiction to meet “lifeline” needs for people who rely on public transit, Monroe said. It would mean basic service in as many places as possible.

“These two contrasting networks are really a values judgment for our constituents, our customers, our directors and stakeholders,” he said.

The push to shape RTD’s future also comes as agency staff considers how to cut $20 million in routes and services starting in the spring to reduce RTD’s ongoing budget deficit.

RTD’s Board of Directors had some hesitation about staff plans to get out into the community, particularly in towns and cities that don’t have much RTD service to start with but still pay taxes for the transportation system.

Director Michael Guzman called on his fellow board members to work together to find a clear direction for RTD, despite, he joked, it feeling like the worst kind of group project.

“We all have our own responsibility to do our part… and we still have to come back together and make these decisions,” he said.

Updated 11:20 a.m., Sept. 29, 2026: A previous version of this story reported that the RTD Board of Directors was meeting for a study session Tuesday afternoon. That meeting has since been canceled.

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