The Regional Transportation District's planned network of speedy buses all over the Denver metro will be branded the "Lynx."
A new-on-the-scene transit advocacy group Greater Denver Transit first spotted the branding at a public open house this week for the East Colfax bus rapid transit, or BRT, line. That's scheduled to start rolling in 2028, though the city hopes to accelerate the timeline.
Representatives from the City and County of Denver and RTD confirmed the branding to Denverite, which will apply to bus rapid transit lines on arterial streets like Colfax Avenue and (later) Federal Boulevard -- not the existing rapid Flatiron Flyer bus line on U.S. 36.
"Different lines will variously be called the Colfax Lynx, Federal Lynx, and so on, much the same way as the light rail system uses the A-Line, B-Line, and so on, to refer to the rail system," Vanessa Lacayo, a spokeswoman for the Denver Office of Transportation and Infrastructure wrote in an email.
The city and RTD chose the name from among more than 40 names, including "Pronto," "Comet," and "Runner."
BRT lines are designed to move quickly -- much faster than typical city buses that stop at stations every few blocks and get stuck in traffic. On East Colfax, the city plans to remove about 300 parking spaces and one lane of vehicular traffic in each direction between Broadway and Yosemite to make room for the buses.
The Lynx name hints at speed, RTD and city reps told open house attendees. They also liked the Lynx/links homonym -- suggesting that the service would link riders to work, school and other community destinations -- and noted that Lynx are wild cat species native to Colorado. (The existing Colfax BRT map, seen above, suggests that the Lynx would come fairly close to serving the home of the CU Denver Lynx.)
"It was important that the name selected be simple and easy to pronounce, have regional significance, generate excitement and embody key characteristics of the future BRT," Lacayo wrote. "Lynx checked all the boxes."
Other transit agencies have had similar thoughts: Charlotte, North Carolina's modest light rail system, Orlando, Florida's transit system, and a Bay Area commuter bus service all use "Lynx" branding.
But Denver will at least have a unique logo to avoid being a transit copycat. Four logos were presented to the public at the open house this week; Lacayo said the public will soon be able to vote on their preferred design.
Greater Denver Transit got a peek at those too:
