The Regional Transportation District (RTD) announced it is transitioning the seats on its MallRide vehicles from fabric to vinyl.

One of the 36 Free MallRide vehicles has been fitted with the new seats and is currently running on the MallRide route.  

The entire fleet will be converted and the remainder of RTD’s bus fleet will be converted to vinyl through the normal attrition cycles.

Details of RTD's New Seat Design 

The design of the seat material is the same used to update the light rail seats. The dots symbolize the communities RTD connects across the system and RTD’s brand colors are represented in the pattern. The design was chosen last year by employees and created by an in-house graphic designer.

“The MallRide vehicles were identified for initial retrofit among RTD’s bus fleet because of its heavy usage. The interior of these buses is heavily exposed to the effects of Colorado winter weather, including rain and snow,” said GM/CEO Debra A. Johnson. “While most RTD buses have one or two doors that open only when customers enter and exit, each of the vehicles in the MallRide fleet has three extra-wide doors that open at every block along the MallRide route. The upgrade of these buses will receive benefits everyone, from the customers using the vehicles to the RTD team members who clean and maintain them.”

In 2017, 36 Free MallRide zero emission, fully electric battery-operated vehicles were introduced with three doors, 18 seats, two wheelchair spaces, and capacity for 88 customers. The vehicles have heat and air conditioning.