DENVER — The Regional Transportation District (RTD) is officially discontinuing its current iteration of the MyRide smart card. They will be replacing it with a new account-based ticketing (ABT) system which will allow for real-time reflection of account balances when reloading and will be compatible with the new RTD MyRide mobile app.
Those still holding an old MyRide smart card can continue to use them until Sunday, July 31. Afterwards, existing cardholders will then be able to request a balance transfer to a new RTD MyRide account. The transition process is expected to take place over the month of August, when RTD will not collect fares on their buses or trains.
Those with EcoPass, Neighborhood EcoPass and CollegePass will still be able to use their existing cards with the new card validators. Likewise, app users will still be able to pay for tickets using their phone, albeit with a slight upgrade.
In a 2021 presentation, RTD detailed the need for an upgrade, saying that the drawbacks of the old stored-value system wouldn't allow any funds added online to be accessed for up to 72 hours.
RTD first introduced the MyRide stored-value smart card system back in 2013 and it allowed people to receive a $0.20 discount when purchasing a full-fare three-hour pass. Those with disabilities, Medicare card holders, and seniors would receive a $0.10 discount when purchasing a half-fare three-hour pass.
However, the $0.20 discount will not be carrying over to the new MyRide card system. According to an RTD fare-equity analysis, they found that the fare change would not likely have a big impact on riders of underrepresented backgrounds or burden on those who are low-income.
Instead, the new system would allow for more flexibility on riders by automatically tracking your fare purchases and upgrading you to the next highest pass. For example, after you buy a certain amount of one-way passes, the system would automatically upgrade you to a day pass.
For more information about the changes, you can head to RTD's website.
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