Increased bus traffic attributable to poor economy

 
The City of Albuquerque Transit Department reported a 15.4 percent increase in ridership compared with last year, reaching a 1 million rider high for the month of March.

According to a press release, since January 2.8 million passengers have taken some sort of ABQ Ride public transportation. Mayor Richard Berry said in a statement he was glad to see Albuquerque residents relying on public transit.
“These numbers are impressive,” Berry said. “It is clear that ABQ Ride is an important part of Albuquerque’s transportation system, as people are relying on our services every day.”

Veronica Valencia, spokeswoman for ABQ Ride, said the Department of Transportation hopes to serve 11 million riders by the end of the year.
UNM student Tricia Archuleta said she rides the bus to campus every day and has noticed more congested buses recently.
“Usually when you get to the Alvarado transportation center it is packed. There is not any seats, but then everyone gets off here at UNM,” she said. “It has definitely started to be more crowded.”
Valencia said the transit has not tried to increase ridership, but hard economic times and high gas prices have been driving people to public transportation.

“I would not attribute our increased ridership to our ad campaigns,” she said. “I believe more people are just finding it is more economical to use public transportation.”

Valencia said ABQ Ride, which includes Local Routes, Rapid Rides, Commuter Routes and SunVan usually serves about 800,000 passengers a month, but adding new and more convenient routes has made the bus system more appealing.
“The inception of the rapid ride in general has helped increase ridership,” she said. “It offers frequent services, with fewer stops that connect the east and west sides.”

Student Christian Martinez said the Blue Line to Rio Rancho is what got him riding.
“I save on gas and don’t have to own a car,” he said. “Some days it is kind of crowded and other days it is pretty normal. It’s a different kind of transportation, but I like it.”

Archuleta agreed that dealing with a crowded bus is better than driving.
“It saves gas and you don’t have to pay for a parking permit or wait for the shuttle,” she said. “I think that’s why people are starting to
do it.”

Valencia said ABQ Ride is using new technologies like GPS to manage increased ridership.
“We have technologies that help us manage our fleet and maintain our schedules,” she said. “We look at routes and ridership on each route, and make sure we are servicing the right amount of people.”

Student Tiffany Artiaga said even with more traffic on the bus it manages to keep on schedule and is efficient to ride.
“It isn’t bad to find a seat if you’re a girl, but if you’re a guy, it can definitely be hard,” she said. “I am not one to complain because I know that even if it is crowded, it is a service that is here to help me.”

Valencia said ABQ Ride might consider adding additional buses to busy routes if the influx of riders does not subside.
“Depending on the budget, if it looks like there is a route with a large increase of people we may consider putting additional buses on those routes,” she said.

Funding for ABQ Ride comes from the city of Albuquerque and federal grants from the federal transit administration, Valencia said.
She said the department awaits budget decisions from Albuquerque City Council, but she does not foresee a change in funding.
“We have been told we won’t see substantial cuts,” she said. “Because this is an important, quality basic service for the city.”