Transfers, How Long Do They Last?

For some reason this topic is one of the more frequent questions I'm asked.
In a variety of ways but the bottom line is that y'all seem most confused about transfers.

Let's start from the beginning:

Let's imagine we're getting on the 15 out at Auraria Campus at about 5:45pm.
You get on the bus, pay your fare and ask me for a transfer.

We're scheduled to arrive out at the end of the route (Colfax and Helena) at about 7pm.
So when I "cut" your transfer it's going to be good until 8pm.

You may get off at Colorado to catch the 40 South but the ticket I've given you is good going East, North and South until 8pm.

Notice I didn't say West?

That's the number two more popular question:
Why can't I use this ticket for my return trip?

If you flip your transfers over you'll notice close to the very top, in bold letters it reads:
"Not Valid On Route Of Issue In Opposite Direction"

And just a little further down, again in bold print:
"Transfer Is Valid For One Hour After Last Stop On Route Of Issue"

Most folks don't think to read the back of that transfer but those are the more common questions and RTD has anticipated this and answered these questions for you.

So many people try to use the ticket in the other direction.
That's one of the first things I check when you show me your transfer.
I see the date, the month, whether am or pm, the time and the direction.

There is other information we Drivers provide each other for more detail but those 5-ish are the first things I see and pay close attention to.

For round trip tickets, you can get those at some stations, at Market Street and Civic Centre Stations, and the light rail stations allow you to purchase round trip tickets and they print "round trip" with an expiry very clearly.

So now y'all know.

Well, at least the 20 or so of you who wrote to me and asked!

Don't forget, RTD has a FaceBook page and they are really good about answering questions and there are other Drivers and even Passengers who help each other out on the page.

As Always, "Welcome aboard, take a transfer, find your seats - Let's Roll!"