New fare structure approved by RTD

The executive board of Denver's Regional Transportation District (RTD) approved new fare policies for transit services on Tuesday.
  
The new fare structure aims to simplify payment options that utilize multiple facets of the RTD system, whether by bus, light rail, airport service or a combination of these three. The new fare system will be implemented at the beginning of 2016. This includes single bus fares of $2.60, or $5.20 for a day pass using local bus and light rail routes. For regional service, the prices are $4.50 per boarding, or $9 for a day pass.

Airport fares will be introduced at $9, which is cheaper than current SkyRide trips. There also will be fewer light rail zones to allow more transit passengers to utilize local fares as opposed to regional service.

RTD also announced that it will introduce a smart card system that can be used to purchase fares in order to save time and migrate away from paper and cash fares. Discounts and other incentives also will be made available to those who utilize the system.

These changes came about after a fare study was carried out over an 18-month period. The next phase of the study will look into the different passes and other reduced fare programs including CollegePass and EcoPass.