Transportation
Rapid Ride
Rapid Ride features 60-foot long, articulated buses that accommodate up to 86 passengers. The New Flyer buses are powered by cutting edge technology - a diesel, electric-hybrid engine that has an extremely low level of emission while providing power and improved gas mileage. Rapid Ride buses are low-floor, allowing for speedy passenger and wheelchair access. Rapid Ride buses feature a wheelchair ramp instead of a lift, which deploys extremely fast. This system, when combined with fewer stops and quicker loading, will translate into faster, more efficient, comfortable service.
The buses are chock full of technology- an automatic enunciator system to notify passengers when the next station is approaching; automatic passenger counters to identify segments where more service might be needed; a global positioning system to aid in the signal priority system and the latest in security cameras and microphones.
On the outside, all Rapid Ride buses have a new paint scheme that is hard to miss! For our bike-riding friends, the new Rapid Ride buses will feature a rack that now holds 3 bikes, an improvement from the typical 2 bikes that most of our racks now hold.
Rapid Ride travels an 11-mile route along Central Avenue from Unser to Wyoming, then north on Wyoming to the Uptown shopping district. The route provides access from the West Side to the Bio Park, Old Town, Downtown, Presbyterian Hospital, the University of New Mexico, Nob Hill, NM Expo at the State Fairgrounds, the new International Market, Los Altos Golf Course / Skate Park and the Uptown shopping area. Rapid Ride already serves more than 100,000 passengers each month. ABQ RIDE expects that number to continue to grow, adding a greater number of commuters, students and tourists to the existing ridership. Rapid Ride will provide crucial capacity across the Rio Grande River during the Coors / Interstate 40 reconstruction. There is a Park & Ride lot at each end of the route, one at the Uptown Transit Center with the other at the Southwest Mesa. There is no charge to park in any of the Park & Ride lots.