Changes lead to D-Ride’s demise
Reallocation of resources means increased service on six routes
ABQ Ride route changes that go into effect later this month mean an end to the D-Ride, the bus route that travels a loop around Downtown and provides service to some of the area’s most popular destinations.
ABQ Ride introduced the free D-Ride bus service in 2006, coinciding with the opening of the New Mexico Rail Runner Express commuter train as a way for those passengers to travel around Downtown after arriving at the Alvarado Transportation Center.
Among the D-Ride stops are the west side of City Hall, metro and federal courts, Plaza del Sol and the Albuquerque Convention Center. The end of the D-Ride is one of several route and schedule changes that start May 12.
Learn more
For more information on the schedule changes, visit www. myabqride.com or contact ABQ Ride customer service at 243-7433.
ABQ Ride spokesman Rick De Reyes said the previous city administration proposed the route changes, approved by the City Council, to cover routes that either needed enhanced service or were underperforming.
“(The D-Ride) was overlapping services that many of our routes going through Downtown already served,” De Reyes said. “The ridership wasn’t particularly great, so they decided instead, not only to create a new route and expand other ones, but modify some of the routes to cover where D-Ride went and create a Downtown Free Fare Zone so that there would still be opportunities to ride inbound to Downtown for free.”
The reallocation of resources used for the D-Ride means increased service for six routes: Route 36 (12th/Rio Grande), Route 1 (Juan Tabo), Route 50 (Airport/Downtown), Route 141 (San Mateo), Route 5 (Montgomery/Carlisle) and Route 155 (Coors).
Two other routes are also being modified: Route 8 (Menaul) and Route 36 (12th/Rio Grande) to provide service on parts of what used to be the Route 40 D-Ride.
A modified Free Fare Zone will increase the number of routes and buses that Downtown residents and employees can use for free for short inbound trips in an expanded Downtown service area. These include inbound Route 8 (Menaul) and Routes 36/37 (12th/ Rio Grande) and all other inbound routes to the Alvarado Transportation Center (except for Routes 66, 766, 777 and 790).
This will not affect passengers on the Rail Runner, who connect with outbound buses at the transportation center.
Route 141 (San Mateo), the most productive ABQ Ride route based on riders per revenue hour on Saturdays and Sundays, will now have more weekend service.
On Saturdays, plans call for adding one earlier northbound trip at 6:18 a.m. and one later northbound trip at 8:50 p.m. It will also add two later southbound trips at 9 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. Plans for Sundays include increasing the frequency from 40 minutes to 30 minutes between 10:30 a.m. and 5 p.m.
Route 5 (Montgomery/Carlisle/Lomas), the thirdmost productive route based on riders per revenue hour on Saturdays, will add one earlier trip in each direction at 7:40 a.m. eastbound and 7:25 a.m. westbound, and two later eastbound trips at 6:20 p.m. and 7 p.m.