Parker launches free Link On Demand transit in Douglas County pilot

Parker’s newest transit option is aimed at the daily trips that often fall through the cracks: getting to AdventHealth Parker Hospital, downtown Parker, Crown Point and other nearby destinations without a car, and without paying a fare. Link On Demand began serving select areas of Parker on April 8 as a two-year pilot run with Douglas County and Via, giving older adults, students, people with mobility challenges and residents without regular access to a vehicle a free ride they can book on demand or in advance.

The service area reaches east to Parker Road, west to just west of Santa Fe Drive in Highlands Ranch and south to Hess Road. Riders can request a trip through the Via app or by calling 719-212-2430. Douglas County said the service uses wheelchair-accessible vehicles and trained drivers, and it does not run on Sundays or major holidays.

County leaders are treating the expansion as a test of whether microtransit can fill a real gap between fixed-route buses and the private car. Commissioners approved a $4.4 million contract on Feb. 24 to continue Link On Demand in Lone Tree and Highlands Ranch while adding Stonegate and Parker. The Town of Parker contributed $250,000 toward service within town limits, while county funding comes from Road and Bridge Sales and Use Tax revenue set aside for Transit and Mobility projects.

Douglas County said Link On Demand had already delivered more than 95,000 rides in Highlands Ranch alone before Parker joined the network, and riders there gave it a 4.9 out of 5-star rating. That record gives county officials a benchmark for whether the Parker service can attract enough regular use to justify the investment, especially for workers, seniors and people making short, essential trips that would otherwise require another car.

The launch also lands as Parker prepares to mark its 45th birthday on May 5. The town was incorporated in 1981 after residents in the 1970s pushed for better public services in the Rowley Downs area, and Parker says its population has grown from 285 residents at incorporation to 72,147 today.

Transportation remains a major theme across town. Parker’s May 7 Parker Road and Mainstreet Conceptual Design Project open house is set for 5 to 7 p.m. at The Schoolhouse, 19650 Mainstreet, and it will be the first public meeting on design options for that intersection. Other projects in the town’s 2026 road update include the Parker Road Sidewalk project from Pine Drive to Robinson Ranch, expected to finish in the third quarter of 2026, along with Lincoln Avenue widening and Jordan Road and Newlin Gulch improvements, both slated for completion in the fall of 2026.