Facilities and Fleet Transition Plan
On April 25, 2023, the RTD Board of Directors adopted a recommended action approving a summary scope of work, and subsequently authorizing the General Manager and CEO to enter into a contract for consulting services for the development of a holistic low/no-emission facilities and fleet transition plan (Facilities and Fleet Transition Plan). Following a public solicitation process, WSP USA, Inc. was selected as the consultant to assist in the months-long formulation of the agency’s Facilities and Fleet Transition Plan.
The comprehensive analysis resulted in two deliverables:
The Facilities Transition Blueprint provides a roadmap for the agency to follow in the coming decades as it transitions its facilities and fleet, and the Federal Transit Administration Transition Plan will be leveraged when RTD competes for federal discretionary grant funding to assist in its transition.
Project Overview
August 2023 - December 2024
The Facilities and Fleet Transition Plan assessed RTD’s current and future operations to determine a path forward for how the agency can lower emissions in its facilities and fleet. This holistic approach was necessary, as transitioning a large fleet of buses to a new technology will have significant implications on the infrastructure needed to support such an endeavor.
Work conducted as part of the Facilities and Fleet Transition Plan included:
- A fixed-route fleet analysis, which assessed various propulsion technologies and their ability to meet RTD’s existing and future provision of services
- A facility analysis, which assessed RTD’s facilities and the upgrades needed to support a new fleet technology, as well as evaluated how a potential new facility could help support new fleet technologies
- A workforce analysis, which assessed the skills needed to maintain newer technologies, and to ensure RTD’s workforce will be prepared for a transition
- A financial analysis, which utilized RTD’s mid- and long-term financial plans to evaluate costs and identify potential funding sources for a transition
The Plan was conducted in two phases. Phase 1 involved an in-depth analysis comparing five potential bus fuels/technologies that could be considered to meet the 2050 goal, including renewable diesel, diesel hybrid, compressed natural gas, fuel cell hydrogen, and battery electric.
RTD staff then identified the preferred fuels/technologies, along with strategies to implement them, and determined that the transition would be segmented into near-term (2025–2035) and long-term (2036–2050) strategies. The near-term strategy focuses on facility modifications to support an expanded battery-electric bus fleet at Platte Division and the replacement of diesel with diesel-hybrid electric buses. The long-term strategy focuses on full fleet transition to zero-emission (ZE) buses, depending on how ZE technologies (battery-electric and fuel cell hydrogen) advance.
In Phase 2 of the Plan, the project team developed technical plans outlining how the preferred fuels/technologies should be integrated into and inform facility improvements, fleet procurements, workforce training, and costs/funding in the near term.
RTD used all information gathered to develop and finalize a Facilities Transition Blueprint and a Federal Transit Administration Transition Plan. Both comprehensive documents will now be used to guide the agency in the future.
The above-outlined assessment and planning work was completed on December 13, 2024.
Resources