The public is invited to join Regional Transportation District (RTD) Board Director Natalie Menten in a discussion about ridership performance, subsidy levels, alternatives to high-subsidy routes, and potential service reductions due to the Regional Transportation District's operator shortage.

The agency is facing a worsening operator shortage challenge that have meant bus or rail scheduled runs have been dropped with little notice. Reliable service is an issue. In addition to the inconsistent reliability, the RTD agency has been mandating that some bus and train operators work 6-days-a-week and this has stressed the work force over the last few years. The RTD Board is considering temporary service reductions to align advertised service with the amount of available bus and rail operators. The transportation industry is facing challenges in the private and public sector within Colorado and also nationwide.

For those who don't use RTD but have an interest in how your tax money is spent, you may benefit from this meeting by gaining a better understanding of the subsidy levels of routes. What are acceptable subsidy levels? Can we offer a better value option for the sales tax and fares paid to RTD?

Public Meetings:

6-7:30 p.m., Nov. 20, at the Golden Library 1019 10th Street, Golden, CO 80401

3-4:30 p.m., Nov. 23, Lakewood Library 10200 W 20th Avenue, Lakewood, CO 80215

Light refreshments will be provided in case you have to choose between dinner and the meeting.