Denver's RTD offers incentives to riders to 'ditch' their cars

The Regional Transportation District of Denver (RTD) has teamed up with ride-sharing service Lyft and car-sharing service Zipcar in an effort to tackle the first-and-last-mile challenge of moving riders to and from transit stations without the use of their cars.

Participants who enroll and are selected to participate in RTD's new Ditch Your Car Program will receive various incentives toward the cost of using those services to travel the distance between their homes and workplaces to a train or bus stop. The incentives include credits for using Lyft, Lyft scooters and Zipcar, as well as a one-month RTD pass.

The program is slated to run from Oct. 8 through Nov. 6. The deadline to sign up was yesterday.

"The partnership will incent Denver residents to participate in a unique opportunity to explore a full menu of transportation options," RTD officials said in a media announcement last week.

RTD's Ditch Your Car Program is among the latest examples of transit agencies trying to bridge the first-and-last mile gap between riders' homes/offices and transit stations. To learn more about this trend, read this feature in the July issue of Progressive Railroading.