Denver's RTD, Transit Partner to Simplify Trip Planning, Fare Payment

Denver’s Regional Transportation District (RTD) and its partners are undertaking a pilot project that integrates trip planning across RTD transit services and its mobility partners, which currently include the Colorado Department of Transportation’s (CDOT) Bustang services, Boulder BCycle, Lone Tree Link, and Lyft scooters.

Through the Transit app, customers can purchase fares and plan trips with end-to-end travel connections via RTD and the mobility partners noted above.

Funding to Boost Tech Usage

RTD received a $687,000 grant funding award for the Accelerating Innovative Mobility (AIM) pilot program from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) to fund project development and deployment. The demonstration will run through Feb. 28, 2026.

While Transit was initially released in 2012, the new features have been in development for the past year and implemented in March. The additions allow customers the ability to plan travel, see fares for different legs of a trip within a suggested trip plan, and purchase fares across a variety of mobility providers, including RTD, within a single app.

“This is an exciting project because it brings so many different mobility options into one mobile application, reducing the friction associated with planning trips and purchasing fares between different modes. For example, someone can now plan a trip from Colorado Springs to Denver International Airport, using both Bustang and RTD, without juggling multiple apps to plan the trip and purchase tickets,” said RTD Planning Project Manager Charlie Stanfield.

Currently, the pilot program is the first of its kind in the U.S.

When the project concludes after two years, RTD and the FTA will evaluate and measure the program’s success.

This project was made possible through partnerships with the FTA, CDOT, Transit app, Masabi, Denver South Transportation Management Association, the city of Lone Tree, Via Mobility Services, Boulder BCycle, and Lyft.