DENVER — The City of Denver is considering a new program to help provide better transportation to underserved communities.
Denver’s Land Use, Transportation and Infrastructure Committee is considering a $500,000 pilot micro transit program to serve Montbello.
Residents would use an app or call for a ride, free-of-charge within certain boundaries.
The pilot program would end in March 2023.
Angela Norris Hawkins, a Montbello resident who also works in the community, said the program could be very beneficial because using public transportation is challenging in the community.
“We have RTD that runs down some of the streets, but most of the streets on the backside — they don’t have any service at all,” Hawkins said. “This neighborhood has always had gaps in service. They’re always cutting services.”
Denver City Council Representative and Transportation Committee Member Candi CdeBaca said the committee thinks the program would be helpful, but members question its longevity.
“We’ve piloted this service here in the Globeville Elyria-Swansea community. It wasn’t through the city — it was provided through CDOT as one of the mitigations for the I-70 expansion,” CdeBaca said.
But CdeBaca said without permanent funding, the program ended.
“I think that’s what I’m a little bit worried about in Montbello. This proposal is coming to us as a pilot for just a year,” CdeBaca said.
CdeBaca said the committee will continue to discuss the program over the next few weeks then decide if it will move forward.