RTD continues gradual return with the reopening of the 16th Street Mall shuttle Sunday

The free 16th Street Mall shuttles will return to Denver on Sunday.

RTD suspended the service April 20, along with a lot of other routes, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic that reduced ridership by an estimated 70 percent. Transit riders will ultimately decide when they feel safe enough to return to buses and trains, but RTD wants the public to know that the agency will be ready when they are.

Reopening the popular shuttle service, which connects the city's two main transit stations and therefore the entire metro region, is a key part of reopening its service, RTD said in a press release Monday.

The public will begin seeing ads on vehicles and social media channels about steps it's taking to keep people safe, including disinfecting the fleet, giving drivers masks, sanitizer, disinfectant and gloves, instituting social distancing measures at stations and on vehicles, and adding vehicles to popular routes to make social distancing easier.

RTD even made a video for its reemergence that includes phrases like "We're all in this together" and "extraordinary times"!

"We want our customers to know that we are all in this together, and as part of the community, RTD has faced the same challenges and uncertainties as they have during these extraordinary times, but we are here and ready to help the region get back on track with safety as our number one priority," said Chief Executive Officer and General Manager Paul Ballard. "RTD is a key partner to reviving the region as it begins to reopen. We are not only a life line to many, but an economic driver connecting people to the places they want and need to go."

The transit agency surveyed 2,700 people, most of whom said they "were not quite ready to ride public transportation," the press release states.

RTD will give away face coverings and sanitizer to the public starting Wednesday, June 24, and continuing through mid-July (see schedule below).