Denver passed a sales tax for climate. Is it working?

Starting at 6 a.m., five days a week, Deloris Jones picks people up and takes them wherever they need to go — for free. And sometimes she does it in an electric vehicle.

Jones, 58, is one of six drivers employed by the city of Denver to power a “micro transit” system in the neighborhood of Montbello. Tucked in the city’s northeast corner, residents there face significant barriers to accessing the regional transit system — and even getting to and from key points in the neighborhood.

So the Denver Department of Transportation and Infrastructure in 2021 established the “Montbello Connector,” a free ride-share service that currently consists of an electric sedan; one hybrid vehicle; and a gas-powered, wheelchair-accessible van. The goal was to help residents move about the area at a lower financial and environmental cost.