When riding the bus in Albuquerque, passengers may have seen people in neon shirts. These people are volunteers with the newly-launched ABQ RIDE Transit Ambassador program.
Launched last year on April 1, 2025, the program is one of two programs for which ABQ RIDE recruits volunteers.
The volunteers seek to promote a safer environment for bus passengers by providing education of ABQ RIDE’s Rules to Ride, and being another set of trained eyes to monitor service, according to the City of Albuquerque.
Daniel Robinson, a volunteer who primarily rides the 11 and 66 buses, said becoming a volunteer is a great way to give back to the community.
“I moved back to Albuquerque probably three and a half years ago, because I was originally born here. What I wanted to do when I came back is be more part of the community I was living in,” Robinson said. “It’s very accessible for anybody that really wants to step up and be a volunteer.”
Volunteers are required to be between the ages of 18 and 80, and pass a background check before beginning work with ABQ RIDE. Becoming a volunteer requires four hours of training across two days, in safety, transit information, fixed routes, demand response, rapid transit and customer service procedures.
Ambassador Program Coordinator Dwayne Baker said approximately 260 hours of service have been put in the first year of operation. The program was “started from scratch” after two to three months of development before its launch.
“We need to have (volunteers) situationally aware and trained on bloodborne pathogens and customer service, which takes time,” Baker said. “We provide them with a tablet where they are able to access and view our websites as well as show customers how our applications work.”
There are two types of ABQ RIDE Ambassadors: Ride Navigators and Care Navigators. Ride Navigators provide information on scheduling and logistics, Baker said. They are typically on the routes with the highest ridership to field questions.
Care Navigators are “interested in psychology and social services and provide resources to those experiencing substance abuse and homelessness,” according to the City of Albuquerque.
Baker said while there are no active Care Navigators working yet, there are two people currently qualified for the role, and ABQ RIDE is continuing to work with other city agencies to develop a specific training curriculum first. When it becomes available, this volunteer position would have a higher education requirement and more rigorous training, Transit Department Public Information Officer Madeline Skrak said.
There are currently 13 Ride Navigator volunteers, though Baker said that their hope is to expand the program to 16 or 17 volunteers this year. Volunteers select their own hours to fill the quota of two hours per week, typically riding the most during the midday hours from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., according to Baker.
Get content from The Daily Lobo delivered to your inbox
Similar systems have been implemented in California, Alabama, Washington D.C. and Ohio, Skrak said.
One year into the program, Baker said recruitment has been the biggest challenge so far, but is optimistic about the program’s trajectory and growth.
“Operationally, I think things are moving great,” Baker said. “The concept for it came up a couple of years ago. A member of ‘Together for Brothers’ was on vacation in another city, saw it in action, came back and started to promote the concept. The word got back to the Transit Advisory Board meetings and there were discussions about how to make it happen here.”
Shin Thant Hlaing is a beat reporter for the Daily Lobo. She can be reached at news@dailylobo.com or on X @dailylobo
