Riders & operators: safety should be priority of new RTD chief

When you're riding RTD, by bus or train, you never know what you'll see. After 23 years as a bus operator, and now union Vice President Ron Short says the same can be said for those in the driver's seat.

"A lot, where do I begin, I have seen the city grow," he said.

And with that, he says the job has changed.

"You have more mental illness, homeless people you are dealing with, drug issues on the bus... things of that nature that were there before but not as prevalent as they are now," he said.

In the last three years, RTD's calls for service have continued to go up, from nearly 55,000 in 2020 to a little over 66,000 in 2021 and so far, this year that number is roughly 45,000.

It's an issue that newly sworn-in RTD Police Chief Dr. Joel Fitzgerald is planning to face head-on.

"You'll see us gearing our services toward being more visible, accessible and to begin to actively prevent crime on RTD," he said.

Safety concerns peaked earlier this year as more violent attacks on board, at stops, and at Union Station - which had become an epicenter for crimes being reported.

A new plan to secure that area has helped, but Short says it didn't solve the problem.

"The criminal element or other elements are using the system to migrate now, they are using the same system they were harassing to go to different areas in the metro area," he said.

Going forward, he says operators, and riders just want to know they're safe and is hopeful new leadership wants to see the same.

"Can we stop 110% of things from happening? No, let's be realistic, but what we can do is rededicate ourselves to ensuring that those who use our services feel safe and feel secure," Fitzgerald said.