helped fund the redevelopment of Union Station, and the station site was transformed into a mixed-use building with residential, office, retail and restaurant space. MallRide A free shuttle bus service, operated by the Regional Transportation District (RTD), known as the MallRide, operates along the length of the mall, and continues north on 16th Street to Denver Union Station. Buses stop at every intersection along the route. The service was introduced when the mall opened in 1982. It originally traveled between Market Street Station and Civic Center Station (16th & Broadway), two hubs for RTD buses at either end of downtown. Light rail service was added at 16th & California and 16th & Stout stations in 1994, creating a third transit hub along the mall. In May 2014, Market Street Station was closed and replaced with the Union Station Transit Center. Today, the route continues to provide a connection between the A Line, B Line, C Line, E Line, W Line and the underground bus concourse at Union Station; the D Line, F Line, H Line, and L Line at 16th & California and 16th & Stout stations; and the bus concourse at Civic Center Station. RTD estimates the MallRide shuttle removes nearly a thousand daily bus trips from the streets of downtown Denver, reducing traffic congestion and improving air quality. As part of the Union Station Transit Center opening, RTD introduced the MetroRide service with operates parallel to the MallRide on 18th and 19th Streets, but operates much faster by making far fewer stops between Union Station and Civic Center Station. The MallRide has always used a fleet of right-hand-drive buses that were custom-designed and purpose-built. The right-hand-drive setup gives the operators a better view of passengers entering and exiting the buses from the right-hand side and of pedestrians who often 'wander' around the open mall and get close to the buses that can travel up to . The first-generation buses which were used until 1999 were diesel-powered and front-wheel drive. The second-generation "EcoMark" buses were introduced in 1999 and were series hybrids with batteries charged by a 1.6-litre compressed natural gas Ford engine. The third-generation "BYD K10MR" buses were introduced in 2016 and are battery electric. Impact as an urban space The Project for Public Spaces says of the Mall that it "provides the entire downtown with shuttle bus circulation and high quality pedestrian access to Union Station. However,