RTD's $539M Diesel Comeback: Because Electric Buses Were Just Too Shocking
In a stark admission that the electric vehicle revolution is more mirage than reality, Colorado’s Regional Transportation District (RTD) is set to borrow a whopping $539 million to replenish its bus fleet, effectively shelving its longheld EV bus dreams.
This move, detailed in RTD’s latest financial forecast, underscores the harsh lessons learned from pushing unripe green tech onto public transit systems: it doesn’t work, it costs a fortune, and taxpayers foot the bill for the fallout. For years, RTD has chased the holy grail of battery-electric buses under the banner of Colorado’s climate mandates, only to bail on contracts and pivot back to the reliable, efficient diesel engines that powered American mobility for decades.The plan targets replacing an aging fleet of 995 diesel buses, many nearing the end of their 12-year or 500,000-mile lifespan.
Over the next five years, RTD will tap sales taxes from metro Denver’s eight counties—funding 70% of its $1.2 billion annual budget—to finance these “clean diesel” purchases, adding to an already ballooning $2.7 billion debt load. Specifics include a $51 million chunk already approved for 47 diesel units to roll out on Denver’s East Colfax Avenue rapid transit line by 2027, initially pitched as hybrids but downgraded to straight diesel when electric options proved elusive.
