Douglas County expands free Link on Demand rides to more suburbs

Douglas County's free Link on Demand rides now cover Highlands Ranch, Lone Tree and select Parker and Stonegate neighborhoods, giving older adults, students, people with mobility challenges and residents without a car a way to make short local trips without driving. The app-based service is designed for people who do not have access to a personal vehicle or traditional fixed-route transit, and county officials say it is meant to improve everyday mobility in fast-growing suburbs.

The Highlands Ranch expansion launched May 27, 2025, with a ribbon-cutting at Highland Heritage Regional Park. Douglas County said the service expanded into Parker and Stonegate in April 2026, and the Town of Parker said rides began there on April 8. Parker is contributing $250,000 toward service in town, a sign that local leaders see transit access as part of the area’s growth, not an afterthought.

Riders request trips through a mobile app, and Lone Tree says the vehicles are wheelchair-accessible and driven by professional drivers. The service is free, which makes it especially useful for families watching transportation costs, older adults who no longer want to drive every errand, and students who need a ride across town for school or activities.

The county says Link On Demand has already provided 72,000 trips and holds a 4.9 out of 5 rider rating. That volume suggests the service has become more than a pilot in Douglas County, where many neighborhoods still sit far from the kind of fixed-route transit that can reliably connect a shopping trip, a medical appointment or a commute to another part of the county.

Trips between non-adjacent zones, such as Highlands Ranch and Parker, may require a transfer hub, so riders need to pay attention to where their trip begins and ends. Even so, the expansion gives residents in Lone Tree, Highlands Ranch, Parker and Stonegate a free option that can replace a short car trip and fill one of the biggest gaps in suburban mobility.