Transit Access Advocacy Guide

What access means

Access includes information

Maps, fare rules, discounts, and rider rights have to be easy to find in the languages people actually use.

Access includes reliability

A scheduled trip that does not show up is a real barrier, especially for riders with no backup option.

Access includes accountability

If an agency does not collect or publish key information, the public cannot tell whether the system is serving people well.

What the bill does

Applies to Colorado transit agencies reporting over 1,000,000 unlinked passenger trips per year, divided into two categories:

Large agency

Regional Transportation District RTD

Medium agencies

Roaring Fork Transportation AuthorityRFTA Mountain Metro TransitColorado Springs TransfortFort Collins Mountain Village Transit Vail Transit Summit StageSummit County Breckenridge Free Ride Steamboat Springs Transit ECO TransitEagle County

Paratransit performance goes on the record: missed trips, denied trips, late pickups, excessively long rides, and call center wait times.
Agencies must publicly report barriers to access for low-income riders and people experiencing homelessness.
Agencies publish an annual public report on ridership by line — so anyone can see which routes are being used and which aren't.
On-time performance and missed trips reported publicly, not just internally.
Service changes — routes, stops, schedules, frequency — are tracked and reported publicly.
Large agencies report which fare discounts and passes riders are actually using — a check on whether affordability programs are reaching people.
Large agencies report top customer complaint categories, making recurring problems visible.
Fare information and discount eligibility posted online, on vehicles, and at stations — so riders can find it without asking.
Key rider information translated into any language spoken by 5% or more of riders in the service area.
Transit maps posted at every rail station, bus station, and BRT stop.
If an onboard restroom breaks down on a long-haul route, riders must be given an alternate option.
Everything goes on a public website, not buried in a report to the legislature.

Talking points

Paratransit accountability

Reporting missed trips, denied trips, late pickups, long rides, on-time performance, and call center performance makes paratransit visible.
For riders with disabilities, those measures determine whether service works in practice, not just on paper.
Paratransit riders often do not have a fallback option when a trip fails.

Ridership by line

Line-level ridership shows where service is actually being used.
It helps riders, local governments, and lawmakers see where service decisions have the biggest effect.
Without it, the public cannot easily judge whether service changes match real demand.

Public reporting

Riders should not need to dig through technical documents just to find basic service information.
Posting information on each agency's public website makes accountability usable.
The goal is a rider-facing public page, not a buried compliance exercise.

Language access

Language access is transit access because people need to understand the system before they can use it.
Fares, schedules, maps, and rider rights should be available in practical, everyday formats.

Low-income riders and homelessness

Agencies should explain how they provide reliable access for low-income riders and people experiencing homelessness.
They should also identify barriers plainly, because unnamed problems do not get solved.

Fare burden and affordability

Public discussion should include how much fare revenue comes from riders least able to pay.
That helps test whether fare policy is meaningful revenue policy or simply a burden on low-income riders.

Maps, fares, and discounts

Riders should not need insider knowledge to know where transit goes, what it costs, or whether they qualify for reduced fares.
That information should be easy to find online, onboard, and at major stops and stations.

Reliability reporting

Transit access depends on whether service actually shows up and runs as scheduled.
Missed trips and weak on-time performance affect work, child care, school, and health care access.

Service changes for access

Route, stop, schedule, span, and frequency changes determine whether transit is useful in daily life.
Those changes should be easy for the public to track and evaluate.

Operator restroom access

RTD-Only

Operator restroom access is a basic working condition issue.
Better operator conditions support retention, safety, and more reliable service for riders.

Fare product utilization

RTD-Only

Agencies should report which passes, discounts, and fare products riders actually use.
That shows whether affordability programs are reaching people or only existing on paper.

Customer complaints

Complaints are rider experience data and often reveal recurring failures early.
Public reporting on top complaint categories helps focus attention on the issues riders raise most.

Data gaps matter too

If an agency does not collect key information, that gap should be visible to the public.
A public "not collected" answer helps show where future oversight, policy, or investment is still needed.

Sources

Bill page: https://leg.colorado.gov/bills/HB26-1269

Reengrossed PDF: https://leg.colorado.gov/bill_files/113695/download

Key sections cited: 43-1-1702 definitions, 43-1-1703 rider information, 43-1-1704 language access, 43-1-1705 restroom access, 43-1-1706 reporting.

§ 43-1-1702

Definitions

Covered transit agency — a public transit agency that reported at least 1 million unlinked passenger trips in the most recent National Transit Database year.
Excludes CDOT-operated transit services.
Excludes regional transportation authorities that only fund transit and do not directly operate service.

§ 43-1-1703

Rider information

Effective June 30, 2027

Covered agencies must display clear transit maps at rail stations, bus stations, and bus rapid transit stops.
Fare information and discount-program eligibility must be available online, on vehicles, and at listed facilities.
Agencies do not have to replace existing fixed signage, displays, or maps solely to comply — updates may occur on the normal replacement schedule.

§ 43-1-1704

Language access

Key transit information must be translated into languages spoken by 5% or more of the service area population.
At the 20% threshold, substantially similar formatting is required.
An existing Title VI or equivalent language access plan satisfies the requirement.
The obligation is limited to key transit information — not every agency document.

§ 43-1-1705

Restroom access on long-haul routes

Effective January 1, 2028

Applies to long-haul routes only.
If an onboard restroom is out of service, riders must be provided an alternate opportunity to access restroom facilities.
This is a fallback requirement, not a construction or equipment mandate.

§ 43-1-1706

Annual reporting

Effective January 31, 2028

Covered agencies must report annually to the governor and the legislative transportation committees.
The report must be posted on a publicly accessible website.
Agencies report only information they already collect — "not collected" is an acceptable response for any metric.

All covered agencies report:

Ridership by line and stop-level boarding and alighting data.
Barriers to access for low-income riders and people experiencing homelessness.
Service changes affecting routes, stops, schedules, span, and frequency.
On-time performance and missed trips.
Paratransit metrics: missed trips, denied trips, late pickups, excessively long rides, and call center performance.

Large agencies additionally report:

Fare product utilization — which passes, discounts, and fare products riders actually use.
Language access inventory.
Restroom availability metrics.
Top customer complaint categories.