AURORA | Light rail and bus commuters in Aurora could see less frequency in rides and some routes disappear all together with proposed service changes from the Regional Transit District. It’s a move city leaders aren’t thrilled about.
RTD is proposing changing R Line frequency to every 30 minutes, instead of every 15 minutes and the H Line, which starts at the Florida Station and runs the length of the R Line to the Dayton Station, to every 30 minutes on weekends. In addition, RTD has proposed eliminating the 157 bus, which serves as a direct route from the R Line to Buckley Air Force Base and the Community College of Aurora’s CentreTech campus. Proposed changes also include limiting frequency on the 130 and 153 buses.
The district also wants to eliminate four early morning trips along the 139 bus route.
“I think RTD is going to hurt itself on the R line because we are building density (along the line) and we want people to move there that will utilize the system,” said Mayor Mike Coffman at a study session on Monday. “But if it’s every 30 minutes, that’s going to have a chilling effect…”
The group agreed to draft a letter to RTD opposing the R Line frequency changes and eliminating the 157 bus, which city staff say would impact about 150 riders each day.
RTD would implement the proposed changes in May 2020 upon board approval. A final decision is expected on March 24.
This wouldn’t be the first time the R Line has faced cuts since it started zipping riders along the I-225 corridor in February 2017.
Three years ago, when the $687-million line opened, RTD predicted they would be pulling in 12,000 riders each day within a few years. This summer, RTD officials said that wasn’t the case. The district reported that the R Line wasn’t alone its woes. The district as a whole saw a 14 percent rider decrease on light rail.
As a result of the low numbers in ridership on the R Line, RTD has decreased the number of cars traveling the route, forcing riders into fewer cars, and the route itself has faced some weekend service cuts.
Now, operator shortages are a contributing factor in the proposed service reductions. Proposed R Line reductions would save about 13 operators, according to Mac Callison, Aurora Transportation Planning Supervisor.
Community College of Aurora President Betsy Oudenhoven also penned a letter to RTD about the proposed service changes. Eliminating the 157 bus route would create “significant hardship” for some students and staff members, she said.
“Unlike the other metro area community colleges, neither of CCA’s two campuses are located on a light rail line. Individuals who are trying to access the CentreTech campus have significant ’last mile’ challenges to get to the campus from the closest light rail stop,” Oudenhoven wrote. “In addition, many of our students are low income and do not have vehicles of their own. They rely on the bus system to attend both our CentreTech and Lowry campuses. And, as you know, individuals who have disabilities or medical conditions and are not able to drive also rely on public transportation. In addition, with growing concern about our climate, some simply choose to take public transportation to reduce their carbon footprint.”
A handful of public meetings about the proposed service changes in and near Aurora are slated through March 5. Details can be found here.