The Regional Transportation District’s BroncosRide buses, running from Park-n-Ride lots around metro Denver to Broncos football games, will be back this fall after a five-year suspension.

RTD directors this week voted 10-5 to reinstate the service.

The agency suspended the service before the Broncos’ 2020-21 season due to bus driver shortages and agency concerns about public transit equity.

Despite RTD’s current budget crisis, the directors decided that the BroncosRide — which will cost $1.6 million, according to information that agency staff provided to directors — will help boost RTD’s lagging overall ridership and increase the appeal of public transit.

If the buses are full, Director Chris Nicholson said, fare revenues estimated at $497,855 will offset the cost.

For years, Streetsblog readers in Southern California have asked us the same question: “When are you coming to San Diego?”

Friends…we’re excited to announce that we have an answer: Streetsblog San Diego will officially launch on July 27. Excited? Consider making a donation to help us lift off…

The new site will cover transportation, housing, climate, public space, safe streets, transit, and active transportation issues across San Diego County, and some of its neighbors. From bike lane projects and transit expansions to housing near transit and climate policy, Streetsblog San Diego will provide the kind of accountability journalism and solutions-focused reporting that has made Streetsblog a trusted voice across California.

What’s especially exciting about this launch is how it is coming together. You may have noticed over the last couple of months, increased local coverage in San Diego (collated here) as we’ve been getting ready for the launch.

We’ve been able to do that because Streetsblog San Diego is being built as a collaboration between leaders and volunteers from Streetsblog California, Bike SD, Ride SD, San Diego 350, and other community organizations and advocates who share a vision for safer, more sustainable transportation and land-use policies. At launch, much of our content will be produced by a growing team of volunteers and freelance contributors who care deeply about the future of San Diego’s streets, transit systems, and neighborhoods.

This community-powered model allows us to begin covering a region that desperately needs more transportation journalism while we work to build a sustainable long-term funding base.

But that’s where we need your help.

Launching a new newsroom takes resources. We launched a pre-fundraiser for “friends and family” of the core group that has been working on making Streetsblog SD a reality, and raised enough funding to cover the fees associated with the launch of the website, and put aside a couple hundred dollars towards our next goal: raising $18,000 for a freelance fund and short video fund that will ensure regular written and video coverage.

Even with volunteer writers and editors donating countless hours, there are still costs for freelance reporting, editing, website maintenance, photography, public records requests, event coverage, video production, and the many other expenses that go into producing quality journalism. There’s a lot of ways you can donate, if you’re interested in helping, you can get started here. If you’re one of those donors who gives through a DAF, the non profit that publishes Streetsblog is called the Southern California Streets Initiative and our EIN is 27-3421838. We are a federally recognized 501c(3) non-profit.

Your donation today will help us:

• Pay local freelance reporters, photographers, and videographers
• Expand coverage across San Diego County
• Cover transit, housing, and climate issues that often go underreported
• Train and support volunteer contributors
• Build Streetsblog San Diego into a permanent part of the region’s media landscape

In the long run, we will be seeking funds for a part-time or full-time editor. Every donation, no matter how large or small, will help us attract major donors, foundations, and advertisers so Streetsblog SD will be staffed similarly to the ones in Los Angeles and the Bay Area.

The challenges facing San Diego are too important to ignore. The region is making critical decisions about transit investments, housing production, street safety, climate resilience, and public space. Residents deserve independent journalism that explains those decisions, holds decision-makers accountable, and highlights solutions that can improve people’s daily lives.

That’s what Streetsblog has done for two decades and what will do in San Diego