The damage is done.

The RTD board met last night and approved most of the proposed May 2009 service cuts. The board meeting had nearly 100 people in attendance, most trying to persuade RTD to save some service or another. Unfortunately, it looks like it was mostly to no avail. The largest turnout by far was in support of the Route U bus, which travels from Pine in the Jefferson County mountains to the Denver Tech Center, but was completely eliminated by the RTD board.  Except for a few services that were saved because various municipalities agreed to cost-share programs with RTD, pretty much all of the original cuts went through. 

RTD is clearly in a mismanaged free-fall. RTD Director Kent Bagley told the Denver Post that the cuts approved yesterday may just be the beginning under these current economic conditions. Though the cuts will save RTD $4.3 million, they still are nearly $3 million below budget. Like I have said many times, part of the problem is RTD's idiotic decision to lock in the price the agency pays for diesel back in October at $3.09 a gallon, which means they are paying more than a $1 a gallon than it would if they were buying fuel on the open market. With diesel prices continuing to fall, that decision is costing RTD millions of dollars every month. 

Apparently, RTD is trying to extend the agency's fuel contract with a new rate until 2010. I am not sure how the agency pays for fuel, but they really should consider multiple-length contracts where RTD pays part of the price of fuel at a current rate and the rest at a previous rate. That is what Southwest Airlines does to the company's benefit.  Clearly though, RTD is not being managed well and has zero accountability to its riders. At this point, I am not sure what riders themselves can do. Obviously, the direct approach yields little, as dozens of people fought for the U and it still was cut. What are the other options? I'd say kick all the idiots out, but the last election actually retained pretty much everyone on the Board of Directors and general manager Cal Marsella still has his job (and apparently a very good bonus/benefits package) despite what seems to be his general incompetence.

So the question is: What can riders do? Anyone have any ideas?