Colorado: A National Leader in Transportation and Climate

Colorado has continually demonstrated its commitment to clean transportation in recent years. The state’s comprehensive approach to transportation reform led it to rank sixth in NRDC’s 2025 scorecard Getting Transportation Right, an improvement of one spot since the previous edition of the scorecard in 2023. Colorado’s score of 59.7 points out of 100 is a nearly three-point increase from 2023 and puts the state between Maryland and Massachusetts and 11 places ahead of New Mexico, its highest-scoring border state. Complementary analysis from the Brookings Institution ties Colorado for fourth place in state transportation planning.  

Investing in transit 

Colorado has steadily grown state investment in transit throughout the past decade. Colorado launched a statewide bus service—called Bustang—in 2015. Consistent service expansion has led to a double-digit percentage increase in ridership each year, with annual ridership growing from a pandemic low of 70,000 to more than 350,000 in 2025. 

To get more people onto transit, Colorado has invested in a program that offers free youth transit passes during ozone season. To pay for increased transit, the state passed a bill levying fees on oil and gas production—a win-win measure that makes dirty energy producers help pay for clean transportation investments. A nonpartisan fiscal analysis estimated that the fees will raise $116 million annually for transit by 2027. 

Colorado is also investing in long-distance rail to give residents of cities and towns across the state an alternative to crowded and polluting highways. The Front Range Passenger Rail is set to run between Denver and Fort Collins by 2029, with a southern extension to follow. 

Project prioritization 

In 2021, Colorado approved a landmark greenhouse gas rule for transportation planning. The rule requires that major transportation projects meet greenhouse gas targets or include measures to alleviate pollution impacts. The state has already seen results, with one wasteful and polluting highway expansion being canceled and replaced with bus rapid transit service in the Denver area. 

Moving away from highway expansions doesn’t mean that Colorado is ignoring its roads. Rather, the state is focusing on maintaining the infrastructure it already has. Colorado’s interstates are now better paved than at any time in the past eight years, with the share of interstate pavement in good condition rising nearly eight percentage points in the past three years. This fix-it-first approach means smoother commutes and less car maintenance for Colorado drivers and clearly shows that ambitious climate action and routine pothole filling can and should go hand in hand.  

Electric vehicles 

Colorado drivers have adopted EVs en masse, with the state leading the national EV market in 2025 and ranking third nationally among peers in a state policy scorecard for electric vehicle "readiness" from the Brookings Institution. The state is using the federal National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure program to complement its own Charge Ahead Colorado and EV Home Charge programs to build a robust charging network, making EV ownership increasingly convenient—even in rural areas. To help meet growing consumer demand for electric vehicles and their charging needs, Colorado passed legislation aimed at modernizing its electricity grid. To make EVs more affordable in the wake of the termination of the federal EV tax credit, Colorado increased its own tax credit to purchase EVs.  

Land use 

A cleaner transportation system isn’t just about how people travel—it's also about reducing how far they must travel to meet their daily needs. Sprawling development often forces people to drive, while denser mixed-use development lets people make their own choices about how to get to work, school, and other destinations. Colorado has acknowledged the role of land use in decarbonizing our transportation system by passing bills that encourage denser housing near transit, let nonprofits and public agencies build housing on underused land, and reduce wasteful parking minimums.  

A 10-year vision 

In 2024, Governor Polis released Transportation Vision 2035, a long-term plan for making Colorado’s transportation system cleaner, safer, more convenient, and more affordable. The document laid out ambitious and achievable goals that will require ambitious action. The plan calls for significant increases in funding for transit and active transportation—two areas that were identified as gaps in Getting Transportation Right. The plan also highlights the importance of EVs and the need for cooperation between local, state, and federal government.

Colorado is on the eve of a gubernatorial transition. The incoming governor will have an opportunity to build on the work of the Polis administration and maintain Colorado’s transportation climate leadership.  

NRDC’s Getting Transportation Right shows a path forward: Colorado scored near the bottom of the top 10 states in the “State funding for transit capital” category and at the absolute bottom of the top 10 in “State funding for transit operations.” The new fees on oil and gas should improve this score in future report cards, but the state nonetheless has more work to do in providing robust and stable funding for transit systems—especially if Congress moves forward as proposed and slashes transit and passenger rail funding in the next federal transportation law.

Colorado has spent the last decade establishing itself as a national leader in clean transportation. The next governor can not only preserve that legacy but elevate it. By defending against attacks and continuing to grow state investments in transit, rail, active transportation, and EV infrastructure, the state’s next governor can make Colorado’s transportation system cleaner, safer, more equitable, and more affordable.