The Denver Post?

Decision Reserved In RTD Bus Case

U.S. Dist. Judge Richard P. Matsch Friday reserved decision on a petition for preliminary injunction to keep the Regional Transportation District from using 213 new buses without equipment to aid handicapped and elderly persons.

The petition, filed against RTD by the Atlantis Community, a residence for the handicapped, and others, originally had sought to get a preliminary injunction against the manufacture, purchase and delivery of the buses.

On Friday, however, the attorney for the plaintiffs, John Holland asked the court to allow an amendment to his original petition which would prohibit only the use of the buses, not their manufacture, purchase and delivery.

Matsch agreed to letting the plaintiffs amend the petition but reserved decision.

RTD has ordered 213 buses from Flexible Buses and the AM General Corp. for delivery later this year. The buses won’t come equipped with and ramps for the handicapped, but could be outfitted with the special equipment.

At the two days of court hearings which ended Friday, John Simpson, RTD executive director and general manager, testified the system currently has 36 of one bus for each 1,000 persons in the city, while maintaining 1.4 buses for each 1,000 handicapped persons.

Simpson told the court if all buses were specially equipped for the handicapped, it would upset schedules and require more buses on the street. He pointed out the special lifts for handicapped take two to three minutes to operate.

In its Saturday editions, The Denver Post erroneously reported that Matsch had denied the plaintiff’s petition for a preliminary injunction.

Created on

Wednesday 10 July 2013

Posted on

Tuesday 10 May 2016

Tags

AMC, bus manufacturers, bus purchase, Flexible, injunction, John Holland, John Simpson, Judge Matsch, RTD, schedules, wheelchair lifts

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