Roaring Fork Transportation Authority officially announces free ride program

The Roaring Fork Transportation Authority announced on Wednesday it will offer free rides on all its bus routes through October and November. 

The “Zero Fair October & November” pilot program comes as the authority strives to pursue sustainability and expand access to public transit, according to Jamie Tatsuno, RFTA public information officer. The authority hopes the two-month initiative will attract those who were deterred by the cost, making public transit more equitable and reducing the total number of cars on the road. 

“I think that the cost barrier can really prohibit people from trying out the system,” Tatsuno said, adding, “Hopefully, some people will try it and then continue riding it past the fare-free October and November.”

Bus service to and from the Maroon Bells is not included in the fare-free pilot.

Tatsuno said RFTA talked to peer agencies like Eagle County’s Core Transit and Mesa County’s Grand Valley Transit, which saw their ridership increase by 30% to 40% while offering free transit as part of Colorado’s recent “Zero Fair for Better Air” fare-free initiative.

October and November traditionally see lower ridership and have available capacity should ridership increase due to the initiative, she said. But the authority could add more buses to the fleet as needed by tracking real-time ridership with its dispatching system. 

It should already be well-prepared for a potential jump in use with its current staffing level, a RFTA press release states.

RFTA will reinstate its existing fares beginning on Dec. 1.

“What we’re really excited to see is if this does really increase ridership in our region,” Tatsuno said, “and how that works internally for RFTA and how it can benefit the Roaring Fork and Colorado River Valleys working together.”

The authority expects the two-month program to cost $550,000. Aspen and the Elected Officials Transportation Committee — composed of Pitkin County, Aspen, and Snowmass Village officials — both said they would allocate up to $275,000 to cover the cost. 

More recently, the city of Glenwood Springs also contributed funding, lowering the expenses for the other entities. Tatsuno said RFTA is still asking for other groups to contribute, which could further distribute the $550,000. 

RFTA Chief Executive Officer Kurt Ravenschlag said in the press release that RFTA will gather data during the two-month period to better understand how a fare-free service would impact the authority and the region. It will conduct surveys about capacity and passenger experience, as well as gather general feedback from RFTA staff, drivers, and customers, Tatsuno added. 

“We’ll be publishing a formal report probably sometime in early 2026 that will assess what ridership trends we saw, (and) our operational impact,” she said. 

She said the authority will use the feedback to determine whether or not to pursue more fare-free programs in the years to come.

For more information about the program, contact RFTA Customer Service at 970-925-8484.

“This is a great opportunity to make transit more accessible for everyone,” Ravenschlag said in the release, “while also advancing our sustainability goals.”

Skyler Stark-Ragsdale can be reached at 970-429-9152 or email him at sstark-ragsdale@aspentimes.com.