Regional Transportation District [RTD]
reviews and complaints

I had rode the bus to the Walgreens on north baseline and dart mouth, a man they were referring to a Jason with a large colorful tattoo on his leg, was acting like he did not want to take me back to the west side of town, I got on the bus after hi break asked him if he turn hi bus into the 225, he stated no I was like oh because the customer service rep said the 225 would be here now I thought it would be you, I asked him how far he would go so I could get another bus, he said to flatirons, I scanned my card he said I need to see eligibility what make you think you get a discount, I said what do you mean by that that sound racist like I can't get what I need, cause I'm black, he laugh as to say yes that is what he meant and said he didn't say that there are cameras, I said yea with no audio, I said wow I did hear about prejudice in boulder he just confirmed what people had been saying all this time.

On Monday (10/4) at 3:03pm, I was travelling south bound on CO-93 in the right lane just north of the bus stop at Broadway and Euclid Avenue. As I approached the bus stop area, the bus in the photo below pulled out into the right lane of traffic right in front of me from a dead stop, without signaling his intention with a blinker or in any other way. He totally disregarded my presence in the right lane by cutting literally right in front of me so that my only recourse was to swerve into the left southbound lane, and thankfully there were no other cars in that lane or there would have been a serious accident involving several vehicles. I understand that drivers often don't give any leeway to the RTD drivers and it's difficult for them, but in this instance, the bus driver made a reckless driving move that could have resulted in a serious accident but for my quick reaction to swerve out of the way. That driver should be admonished and fired if this follows a pattern of reckless driving behavior on their part.

A friend and I were trying to catch the train to Union station from oak station. We were prepared to board the 9:54 p.m. train on Thursday night but when the train arrived the door did not open and the conductor would not let me board. I was on the ramp due to the bicycle and luggage I was trying to carry with me as well as my handicap. My friend been knocked on the window and the conductor just smirked and shook his head and sped away. Fired therefore, my friend and I were late to our engagement.

We need your help in getting RTD to address problem it has been ignoring for quite some time despite numerous complaints. They decreased service on the #6 line to such a disproportionate extent that the increased ridership in our area now is leaving many of us stranded. At 17th & Lawrence, for example, you see tons of 10s, 0s and 15s stop with about 5 passengers a piece, but the #6 is very infrequent, and more and more chronically late now every evening (anywhere from 20 to 30 minutes) with a driver who has no idea what he's doing. He says the reason he's so late is that he has to pick up passengers (what driver doesn't). Along the way, he announces he will no longer be picking up anybody because he's late. So people at other stops waiting over a half an hour have to watch him sail on by. This goes on constantly. It's as though he's deliberately having a joke at our expense because he knows RTD will do nothing. I have called, and spoken to others who have also called, but apparently RTD is just taking the complaints and doing nothing. Could you please help us shine the light on this? It might not seem that big a deal until you're one of the unlucky folks caught in this dilemma made late for where you were supposed to be due to this lack of consideration - I've never seen it this bad, ever.

Friday when I was coming back home. I took the bus at 6.45pm @ Orchard/University. I had a discounted bus pass, The bus driver was very rude and took my bus pass away from me. He didn't even asked me from the discount card. I beg and asked him several times for him to give me my bus pass but he refuse to do so. The bus driver's name is Leon/is a black male ..the bus #is 5249. I hope that you do something about it so this doesen't happen again to anybody else...He made me pay again $2.00...Other people had the same bus pass but he didn't ask them to pay again. Also, other people went in the bus without paying; and, he didn't even said anything.

I have been writing the bus for several years and this never happened to me before.

thanks

R.T.D. is a terrible customer service nightmare. They treat people poorly, fail to do thier jobs properly, and by far are not a safe means of transportation. I have had drivers preach the word of God to me, call the cops on me when I spoke against thier God( ask Ms. Barbra Brohl about the 14 last year and the two preachers). On Christmas Eve, 2006, the bus (0 southbound) drove by in a freezing, blowing snow blizzard never stopping at the 8th avenue and Broadway stop that evening leaving 10 people stranded. I called RTD and they could care less even though they left an elderly handicapped man stranded (we took care of the old man (68 years old) as he was crippled and mobility impaired on a walker). Last month my 11 year old daughter an I board a bus, and after my daughter shows the driver her transfer, I show him mine. The driver wants to see it closer so I give it to him but he drops it on the floor. As I get seated the driver starts yelling at me about treating him like a dog. I ask for a supervisor, he refuses an calls security to remove us. I comply, and call RTD. Ms. Merideth explains RTD will reimburse me the two fares, they don't. Twenty bucks says this driver has a history of customer complaints. Two weeks later same thing, different driver (0 northbound). This driver gives me an invalid transfer good for 10 minutes after his last stop. I call RTD while on his bus trying to avoid a confrontation. The driver relents and gives me a valid transfer but only after he realizes I am on the phone with RTD directly. Naiomi, the lady on the phone says she'll call me back and find out why my daughter and I were not reimbursed for the incident two weeks prior. Ms.Naomi never did call back. Today, the driver on the 0 southbound gives me an expired transfer upon boarding, he corrects it without a problem as it was an hour expired. He was a great driver who apologized for the error. The next 0 southbound from the I-25 station to Highland Ranch, as the first bus stops at the I-25 station, tells me my transfer is no good as it has the wrong date. I ask for a supervisor as it clearly had the correct date the 27th on it. No supervisor, just a bunch of verbal insults from the driver who realizes the error and decides to berate me anyway. So I tell the driver again I would like a supervisor called, no supervisor the driver just keeps going on. Finally enough is enough I tell the driver to shut up, I don't want a conversation. Most of the drivers are good people and they care, but for the sake of a few. Thus here is a complaint the world can see. Secondly, in twenty years of riding RTD, I have reported guns being carried on the bus by gang members, open drinking on the bus, gang members riding for free via intimidation, and folks they just don't care about thier passengers, it's all a PR ploy. So to RTD, if I see anything life threatening on your bus, what if I quietly get off at the next stop without a word? In over twenty years of riding RTD everyday, I have witnessed countless physical assaults, robberies, drug deals, open alcohol consumption, you name it, it all rides RTD. Some group of idiots were even shooting at the buses some years ago as a driver pointed out the bullet holes to me. Take the Colfax bus to Aurora (15), it's a real bang. A group of us have been riding the buses for years, we watch out for each other. Some are professional people and I have to question thier husbands good sense to let thier wives ride public transportation alone. The young kids riding to school everyday are really exposed to this crap. Why would any responsible parent ever let thier kid ride a bus alone is beyond me. That's insane folks. Do you want your wife and kids exposed to gangs, drugs, public drinking, countless sex offenders going to see thier parole officers? Put them on a bus by themselves, let them join the list of countless victims over the years. Don't tell them to ask for a supervisor, it ain't going to happen, I've tried, God have I tried. Only a board director once, Ms. Brohl, had the class to step up and do right; how does a couple of drivers tell people riding a bus they are going to hell for not being born again; then call the cops on you for getting fed up and telling one of the idiots "God is dead"? Thank you to the Denver Police Department for explaining the rights of free speech to the idiot. Thank you very much Ms. Brohl, you did care and you helped a lot, but the company you work for doesn't deserve you. They are depriving villages of idiots. What if some banger or misguided idiot goes off on a bus and assaults a passenger, what if I didn't see a thing. How about the next kid I see packing a piece on the bus, what if I don't say a thing, and let the driver end up being the last to know. Maybe the next time I watch them cut your seats, or vandalize your property, shatter the glass at a bus stop, I can just mind my own business and you can use that as an excuse to raise your fares so the passengers can pay for it. After awhile why should anybody care, RTD doesn't. The only thing that keeps me from giving up, and not caring, are the many good people who I have met over the years on the bus. I love and care about these people to much, but for how long...one day even I may just turn my back and walk away.