New Study Suggests Denver’s Transit System, RTD, is Plagued by Crime and Costs

A study of metro Denver’s transit system by the Common Sense Institute examines the history of RTD and the budget, ridership and crime impacting the system today.

From 2020 through 2022, 66% of RTD’s revenue came from sales and use taxes in participating counties, amounting to $275 per Denver metro area resident, according to the report, released May 21.

“RTD is a significant investment for taxpayers, and ensuring the viability and ridership of the system is paramount to many goals in the region including transportation, housing and climate goals,” said Kelly Brough, CSI Urban Development Fellow, who co-authored the study with DJ Summers, CSI Director of Policy & Research.

“To better incentivize ridership and improve the system, we first have to understand how the system is operating today,” Brough said.

One of the biggest challenges for RTD is crime, the study concluded.

According to the Colorado Bureau of Investigation, crime has spiked at air/bus/train terminals; for instance, the number of drug violations rose by 248% between 2019 and 2023.

Similarly, citations issued by RTD police rose in 2023 after falling for several years. RTD police issued an average of 372 citations per month in 2022. That number rose in 2023 to 526 citations per month. As of May 2024, RTD had already recorded three homicides this year.

The good news, according to Brough, is that RTD has made great strides toward improved safety. “RTD has dramatically increased the size of its police force from 19 officers in 2022 to a projected 119 by the end of 2024,” she said.

“In addition to crime, CSI examined budget and ridership numbers,” Summers said. “The bottom line is ridership is not keeping pace with the growing budget. RTD would have to nearly triple its ridership in order to recover 30% of its operating costs through rider fares, as it was officially required to do until 2021.”

Common Sense Institute is a nonpartisan research organization based in Greenwood Village. To read the full report, “Fork in the Railroad: RTD’s Ridership Dilemma,” visit commonsenseinstituteco.org.