Sustainable Transportation Program Updates

*Bike stations may close for weather or lack of student staff availability. See the open/closed status here.


Bus Program 

Card Readers Replaced and Student Cards Working (updated September 23, 2022)

RTD informed me that all Boulder buses completed the new card reader install this week, HOP buses will be this weekend, and next week they are going to be installing readers on the buses that are stored in the Longmont facility. Students have confirmed that these new card readers are correctly recognizing their transit passes and they are no longer getting the "insufficient funds" error code. If you still encounter problems with your card on these new card readers, please let us know at buspass@colorado.edu

Invalid Student Cards (updated September 14, 2022)

Progress update on Insufficient Funds and card readers

Most student transit pass cards have been updated and recharged in the RTD system, but approximately 2,000 cards are still waiting for a manual update to allow the new card readers to recognize their validity. Students who contact buspass@colorado.edu with their card number are having their cards reviewed by this office and then a daily list is being sent to RTD of cards to prioritize their card updates. As of yesterday, we are seeing some cards that have become valid and recognized by both the new and old card readers. You may experience that buses with the original card readers will recognize your card as valid while the newly installed readers will deny your card. RTD is working through that issue. We are also seeing many cards in the RTD admin portal that have a status of "Recharge - Pending Tap", which means that the card has been updated, but needs to be tapped on a bus card reader before the status changes to fully valid.

Your patience is appreciated while RTD transitions to new card readers and card updates. Drivers have been instructed to continue to let CU students ride the bus regardless of what the onboard card readers say. If you experience and issues with drivers not complying please email us at buspass@colorado.edu

Insufficient Funds error code (updated September 6, 2022)

Fall ’22 widespread card reader error

Many students are experiencing rejected taps from their CollegePass transit cards and we are working closely with RTD to resolve this issue. RTD has issued a 2nd bulletin to their drivers reminding them to let CU affiliates board the bus while their technical teams work through fixing the issue. Please don’t go to the Buff OneCard office to get a new card as this will just further complicate the issue and extend the time until you have a functional card.

In short, the problem is a result of all transit pass cards having a preprogrammed expiration date of 7/31/22, which was 10 years after the original deployment of the smart card system. RTD has revised this expiration date in their portal, but the physical card readers and cards can take 72 hours or more before they get updates pushed through.

If you are experiencing persistent problems with your card, please email us at buspass@colorado.edu with your CollegePass card number plus a brief explantion and we work with you to resolve the issue. 

Fall 2022 driver bulletin

Bus Pass Fee Waiver request (updated May 11, 2022)

For those wishing to waive their fee, please see this website for eligibility requirements on refunding your Bus Pass Fee through the Environmental Center's Bus and Bike Program.

Graduate Student Employees (updated May 11, 2022)

Similar to the last few summers, Graduate student employees who are employed at least 15% of time (6 hours a week) during the summer and have job codes of 1502, 1503, 1505, and 1506 will have their summer passes activated and paid for as part of their benefits package.

Buff Bus, HOP, and Stampede tracking available on Transit App
Real-time location tracking for CU Boulder’s Buff Buses is now available via the Transit app, the same mobile app where you can track RTD and HOP buses, B-Cycle and more. The Transit Mobile App is available for free at mobile app stores.

Common Bus Pass Problems
The most common problems that we deal with include cards not assigned to the correct user, deactivated cards, and defective cards. The Buff OneCard office isn't able to research student card issues e-mail buspass@colorado.edu instead. Pass Issuance and Replacement RTD College Passes are issued to incoming students upon move-in. If you need a bus pass and are a fee paying student, visit the Buff OneCard office in C4C. If you lost your card they can replace it for $10.

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