Denver RTD Proposes 2027 Budget With Service and Staffing Cuts
Denver's Regional Transportation District (RTD) has proposed its 2027 budget, which outlines significant cost-cutting measures including service and staffing reductions. Despite these efforts, the agency still faces a projected $148 million deficit for the upcoming year, citing reasons such as…
Denver, CO, October 14, 2026 —
Denver’s Regional Transportation District has proposed a 2027 budget that includes service and staffing reductions as part of a broader effort to cut costs. Even with those measures, RTD projects a $148 million deficit for the upcoming year.
The agency cited three pressures behind the shortfall: ridership remains below pre-pandemic levels, federal COVID relief funds have expired, and operational expenses are rising. The proposal therefore pairs planned reductions with a projected deficit, indicating that the outlined cost-cutting measures would not eliminate the gap in the coming year.
The proposal does not specify which services or positions would be reduced, how large the reductions would be, or how the changes might affect passengers and employees. The amounts of any savings associated with the cuts were also not provided. Details about the agency’s projected revenues and expenses beyond the stated deficit were not included in the available information.
RTD’s Board of Directors is scheduled to vote on the proposed budget in December. The proposal remains subject to that decision; no vote outcome or subsequent budget changes have been reported in the information provided.
The budget decision will address how the agency plans to respond to the cited financial pressures while setting its spending and service framework for 2027. The specific provisions of the proposal, including the scope of the service and staffing reductions, were not provided.
Story summarized from the original created by Maggie Bryan on www.denver7.com, see more information here.
