RTD spearheading pilot project that integrates trip planning and fare payment with mobility partners in Denver region within Transit app

The AIM pilot project enables customers to plan end-to-end travel and purchases fare through RTD, Bustang, Boulder BCycle, Lyft and more within one app

DENVER (April 4, 2024) –– The Regional Transportation District (RTD) and its partners are undertaking a pilot project which integrates trip planning across RTD transit services and its mobility partners, which currently include the Colorado Department of Transportation’s (CDOT) Bustang services, Boulder BCycle, Lone Tree Link and Lyft scooters. Through the Transit app, customers can purchase fares and plan trips with end-to-end travel connections via RTD and the mobility partners noted above.

RTD received a $687,000 grant funding award for the Accelerating Innovative Mobility (AIM) pilot program from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) to fund project development and deployment. The demonstration will run through Feb. 28, 2026. While Transitwas initially released in 2012, the new features have been in development for the past year and implemented in March. The additions allow customers the ability to plan travel, see fares for different legs of a trip within a suggested trip plan, and purchase fares across a variety of mobility providers, including RTD, within a single app.

RTD Planning Project Manager Charlie Stanfield said, “This is an exciting project because it brings so many different mobility options into one mobile application, reducing the friction associated with planning trips and purchasing fares between different modes. For example, someone can now plan a trip from Colorado Springs to Denver International Airport, using both Bustang and RTD, without juggling multiple apps to plan the trip and purchase tickets.”

Currently, the pilot program is the first of its kind in the U.S.

“Our hope is that this is the first step towards integrating public transportation options for Coloradans, and that we are able to build off the lessons learned from this project,” said Stanfield.

“This project paved the way to allow customers to see and purchase fares from multiple agencies in one trip in the app, and now other areas around the country where multiple providers intersect are looking to benefit from this work,” said David Block-Schachter, Chief Business Officer of Transit. “We also now show electric bikes and scooters separately from regular bikeshare in the app and use their speeds to calculate more-accurate ETAs in our trip plans. We’re excited for these developments to empower Coloradans to mix-and-match modes so that it’s even easier than before for them to travel car-free from A to B.”

When the project concludes after two years, RTD and the FTA will evaluate and measure the program’s success.

This project was made possible through partnerships with the FTA, CDOT, Transit app, Masabi, Denver South Transportation Management Association, the city of Lone Tree, Via Mobility Services, Boulder BCycle and Lyft.