RTDs Financial Health

Added: 2026-05-29

[00:00:10]We all have bills. Whether it’s a major purchase like a home, or everyday expenses like groceries, the electric bill, or insurance, no matter how carefully you budget, there’s one thing making everything harder right now: Everything costs more.

[00:00:28]That same problem is hitting RTD.

[00:00:32]Running a transit system isn’t that different from managing a household budget — just on a massive scale.

[00:00:38]And right now, RTD is trying to balance rising costs, aging infrastructure, and low-growth revenue all at the same time.

[00:00:47]At the core of it, there are really three pieces to any budget.

[00:00:51]First: revenue — the money coming in. For RTD, that includes sales and use tax revenue, fares people pay for buses, trains, and paratransit, and other funding sources like grants.

[00:01:04]Think of it like your paycheck or the money deposited into your bank account every month.

[00:01:09]Second: capital investments.

[00:01:12]These are the big, expensive investments that don’t happen every day, but are absolutely necessary.

[00:01:20]For a family, it could be replacing a roof or building a fence around your property.

[00:01:25]For RTD, it’s replacing tracks, upgrading old systems and facilities, improving safety technology, or replacing aging trains and buses.

[00:01:36]Third: operating expenses.

[00:01:39]These are the everyday costs required just to keep things functioning. Rent. Utilities. Groceries. Insurance. Gas.

[00:01:48]For RTD, it’s paying all its employees, fueling buses, maintaining stations, repairing equipment, and keeping transit service running day after day.

[00:01:59]The challenge is that RTD’s system is aging — and older systems become more expensive to maintain.

[00:02:05]It’s like owning an old house. At first, maybe it just needs painting.

[00:02:10]Then suddenly your heating system goes out, your foundation needs work, and every repair costs more than the last one.

[00:02:18]That’s where RTD is now.

[00:02:20]And this issue has been building for years.

[00:02:23]Back in 2019, RTD was already dealing with a $127 million deficit because costs were rising faster than revenue.

[00:02:34]At the same time, major maintenance projects had been delayed for years, creating a growing backlog of repairs.

[00:02:41]Then COVID hit.

[00:02:45]Ridership dropped almost overnight as offices closed and people stayed home.

[00:02:49]But RTD still had to operate. Essential workers — nurses, grocery employees, first responders, transit-dependent customers — still needed transportation every single day.

[00:03:02]To keep public transit systems alive during the pandemic, the federal government stepped in with emergency funding.

[00:03:09]For a while, that support created what looked like financial stability.

[00:03:14]But it wasn’t permanent.

[00:03:16]When the emergency funding ended in 2023, RTD was facing a $282 million deficit.

[00:03:23]And today, the pressure keeps increasing.

[00:03:26]Construction costs are higher. Track repairs are more expensive. Labor and materials cost more than they used to.

[00:03:34]And while many customers continue to rely on the access, opportunity, and convenience transit offers to travel to social events, doctors’ appointments, and to spend time with family and friends, fewer people across the region are commuting daily because remote work has become more common.

[00:03:55]That means lower ridership and less fare revenue flowing into the system.

[00:04:01]In simple terms: Expenses are climbing much faster than income.

[00:04:04]In addition, just like people should save 3–6 months of income in their rainy day fund, RTD is required to have 3 months of cash reserves for emergencies on hand at any time.

[00:04:16]These reserve requirements aren't just suggestions.

[00:04:20]They are part of the fiscal guardrails RTD’s Board adopted to keep its decisions clear, responsible, and financially stable.

[00:04:28]Upholding these policies is one of the Board’s core duties.

[00:04:32]Fulfilling that duty means making the hard choices today, rather than leaning on structural deficits or kicking the problem down the road to future generations.

[00:04:43]Spending less than RTD brings in is the only way RTD’s long-term health can be preserved.

[00:04:50]So where does that leave RTD now?

[00:04:53]At a crossroads.

[00:04:55]Just like a family sometimes has to choose between renovating the house or taking a vacation, RTD is being forced to make difficult decisions about what it can realistically afford.

[00:05:07]Steps have already been taken to reduce costs without major service changes.

[00:05:11]But without a major course correction — whether that means service modifications, new revenue sources, or both — the financial outlook becomes increasingly unsustainable.

[00:05:23]At the current pace, RTD may be short of cash in 2028, and it will be difficult to maintain service.

[00:05:31]And if that happens, the consequences won’t just affect buses and trains.

[00:05:36]They will affect workers trying to get to their jobs, students traveling to school, families accessing healthcare, businesses depending on employees, and entire communities connected by public transit.

[00:05:51]The agency now faces a critical choice: make disciplined, near-term decisions needed to balance the budget today, or allow the deficit to grow until RTD’s core transit service is at risk.

[00:06:06]Acting now protects RTD’s future, and the customers who depend on it every day.

[00:06:12]Because ultimately, public transportation only works if the system itself can keep moving forward, which allows RTD to continue to deliver on its mission: to make lives better through connections.