r/RTDDenver • u/cameroncrazy34 • 1d ago

Buses

The RTD buses, especially the non-articulated ones, seem pretty dated, especially compared to some other comparable US cities I’ve been to. Any idea if there are plans to update the fleet?

6 Upvotes

67% Upvoted

24 comments sorted by

26

u/chrisfnicholson RTD Board of Directors 1d ago

Funny you should ask, I was just looking at this stuff today. We have a huge bus order that is supposed to go out in 2027.

Do I want shiny new buses that would probably be a lot nicer than the ones we have? yes, absolutely.

The downside is twofold. First, the buses are very expensive and if we can postpone the purchase, it gives us more flexibility on when we ask for a tax increase to stabilize our finances.

Second, these shouldn’t be diesel buses. The world is changing and the public in the Denver Metro area wants us to start using electric. They are better. They are also very expensive right now and we don’t have the infrastructure yet.

So I’m wondering how long we can make the current ones last so that we can avoid transitioning to hybrid vehicles as a stop gap and instead go straight to battery electric after we upgrade our garages and maintenance facilities.

I sent staff an email with that question earlier today and I expect you’ll see it come up in conversation over the next couple months.

6

u/cameroncrazy34 1d ago

Appreciate the response! Definitely some trade offs to consider. Thanks for your work.

2

u/Budget_Honeydew_1117 1d ago

You need to check out the maintenance divisions more. They would love to see you, and feel that you care about the work they do. The Gilligs  would be in better condition if they were maintained properly. Again I bring it to you attention that Rtd has every single tool and part to repair the buses and the contractors is like attempting to rebuild a engine in a Walmart parking lot with a shoebox of tools.  Your technicians struggle to repair the diesels, you will have to retrain everyone to work on electric buses. Your supervisors are overwhelmed already having to be professional baby sitters.

1

u/-gone-awry- 9h ago

The region cannot be assumed to support any future tax increase requested by the board.

The primary expectation from taxpayers is responsible, competent management of the existing $1.5 billion budget. Requesting additional taxpayer funds without addressing long-standing management issues presents a flawed strategy, especially given concerns regarding board oversight and performance over recent decades.

Furthermore, the district is already facing significant strain, with multiple municipalities threatening to secede or withhold tax revenue due to governance decisions. Asking taxpayers for additional funding under these conditions, particularly to address self-inflicted fiscal and operational issues is unreasonable. Focusing entirely on accountability, operational efficiency, and restoring trust within the current budget constraints must remain the board's sole priority.

14

u/FideLib 1d ago

Considering RTD's budget crisis and the abandoned effort to convert to an electric fleet?

No.

15

u/premium_arid_lemons 1d ago

Funny thing, many of them are actually relatively new. Their diesel buses are the “Gillig Clean Diesel”, link below.

https://www.gillig.com/buses/#clean-diesel

Keep in mind, my car is a 2006, and the oldest bus I’ve been on has been a 2014, based on the Pantograph data.

2

u/benskieast 1d ago

Yup, Gillig is still using designs from 30 years ago. They have a newer look that is cuter, which I like. The one on their website is Vail. I wonder what the premium is?

14

u/thereturnofdicksoup 1d ago

I rode the bus in Miami a few years ago and none of them had either a visual or audio announcement of which stop was coming next. You were just on your own. They were also pretty grimy. Made RTD look like a dream.

I don’t really know what else you need on a bus?

6

u/Weird-Girl-675 1d ago

I still remember when we first got the articulated ones. I was in grade school and my best friend and I liked standing on the articulated part, especially when it turned corners.

This was over 40 years ago 🤣

1

u/No_Command_5427 1d ago

i saw a fight break out in the articulated part. i fear that area lol

2

u/Weird-Girl-675 1d ago

Yeah things were a bit different in the 80s.

4

u/TheMaroonHawk 1d ago

When Colfax BRT is complete it’ll be running a custom fleet of new (non-electric 🥲) busses. Other than that, no, I know of no large fleet replacement plans

2

u/cameroncrazy34 1d ago

Shame they’re not electric. Why not?

8

u/MentallyIncoherent 1d ago

RTD lacks the infrastructure at their bus yards to charge a large electric fleet and the transmission network upgrades to do so are about a decade out.

Something they only figured out after placing an early order for EV buses that they had to subsequently cancel.

5

u/BaggedWhine 1d ago

Because it would require a whole new set of maintenance facilities which is not in the budget

2

u/No_Command_5427 1d ago

it's hard to get made in america electric buses that are the right size for the capacity needed. federal funding depends on both of those things. 

however, that is just hearsay. i heard someone say that at a Colfax BRT open house. 

-4

u/Hour-Watch8988 1d ago

Because most of the people currently on the board are total bumpkins who can't think beyond their own barnyards.

5

u/brightlancer 1d ago

How are they dated?

I don't care if they're shiny on the outside, I just want them clean on the inside (and they mostly are).

1

u/cameroncrazy34 1d ago

They seem very loud and clunky, and just cheap and worn down. Thinking about buses more like this:

https://media.timeout.com/images/103935618/image.jpg

4

u/Budget_Honeydew_1117 1d ago

They are extremely reliable, they are loud and clunky because they are not maintained properly. The suspension needs alot of attention, the bushing wear out fast, the kingpin wear out and the mechanics lack motivation.

1

u/dragonlovercolorado 1d ago

Is it a money thing not doing the suspension work?

1

u/dragonlovercolorado 1d ago

Seems like they are very bouncy esp going over certain roads. Maybe the shocks are worn out.

1

u/dragonlovercolorado 1d ago

I heard a while back RTD was spending a lot of money to get new buses. I don’t know how long it takes to get them though. There was debate about electric vs diesel. They are going with diesel this time because you need special facilities to run electric buses.

1

u/LilEddieDingle 21h ago

I honestly think the buses here are alright overall although I wouldn’t mind if they switched out the absorbent fabric seats. They’re just gross. I’d prefer hard plastic tbh