RTD seeks board approval for $1.68 million Broncos game-day transit pilot
A proposed one-season pilot for 2026-27 Broncos home games would add rail and bus service beyond RTD’s regular schedule, but RTD’s revenue estimate assumes sold-out crowds and full use of the extra capacity.
RTD staff are asking the board to approve a one-season pilot for added transit service to Denver Broncos home games during the 2026-27 season, with an estimated cost of $1,681,567 and projected incremental fare revenue of $497,855.
The proposal is scheduled for the RTD board’s June 23 meeting. The public packet does not show a final vote, so approval is not certain. But staff are presenting the item as a recommended action backed by the chairs of the board’s Operations, Safety and Security Committee and Finance and Planning Committee, according to RTD’s June agenda packet.
If approved, the pilot would go beyond telling fans to use RTD’s existing lines. RTD says it would run the “low” tier from its High-Volume Event Plan, adding per game 32 light-rail service hours, 24 commuter-rail service hours and 736 bus service hours. RTD says that would create about 6,500 additional rail seats and 3,870 additional bus spaces per event, using four rail operators and 101 bus operators.
The proposal is separate from RTD’s broader budget debate. Rather than systemwide fare hikes, service cuts or other structural measures, the item asks whether RTD should set aside operating money for a targeted game-day service boost. RTD says the pilot would be funded through a corresponding reduction in the 2026 Operations Department operating expense budget, meaning the service is not proposed as self-supporting.
The main question is whether the ridership and revenue assumptions hold.
RTD’s report says the fare-revenue projection assumes full use of the added capacity. Staff also say the model assumes a sold-out game, with 8% of attendees using rail and 5% using bus. The pilot cost estimate assumes 11 home games — two preseason games, eight regular-season games and one playoff game — even though the packet says the number of playoff games could range from zero to three.
Those assumptions make the financial case less certain than the topline numbers suggest. The public packet supports RTD’s cost and revenue totals, but it does not publicly show the detailed farebox math behind the $497,855 estimate, such as assumed average fares or discount use. And because the proposal assumes one playoff game, actual totals could come in lower if the Broncos do not host one.
The pilot would also mark a shift from RTD’s recent game-day approach.
RTD said in a 2023 service notice that BroncosRide had been permanently discontinued after three seasons of suspension, and that fans should instead use regular bus and rail service. More recent RTD notices for Broncos games have similarly emphasized regularly scheduled E and W Line service to Empower Field at Mile High Station and connections through Union Station, rather than a dedicated game shuttle.
So while the new proposal is not a direct restoration of the old BroncosRide model, it would add a special layer of event service beyond the normal network while RTD is also weighing larger budget cuts elsewhere.
RTD says any event service must comply with Federal Transit Administration rules, including no special fare, multiple pickup and drop-off locations, and public availability. The packet also says future continuation would depend on post-pilot review of boardings, customer feedback, input from Broncos management and staff observations, as well as agreement on operational support details with venue managers.
If the board approves the plan, RTD says it would fold the service into its September 2026 service change. For the two preseason games before then, the packet says RTD would request volunteer staff support.