Customer Service and Public Safety

• Customer complaints dropped by 30% from 2006.  This came at a time when ridership for the same time period increased by 10%.  The reduction in complaints can be attributed to a concentrated effort to improve customer service and public safety.
• The Customer Service Department set goals to provide faster response to customer complaints.
• The number of security officer and Albuquerque police officers in city buses and at bus stops were increased.
• An Automatic Vehicle Locator (AVL) system was introduced that tracks the speed and location of the buses.
• More sheltered bus stops were added to protect passengers from the elements.

Service Expansion

• A new Rapid Ride route (Blue Line) was added in July 2007 connecting the West Side with the University of New Mexico with boarding expected to reach 250,000 its first year.  The Rapid Ride routes logged their 5 millionth passenger boarding in March 2008.
• Additional new routes added include the #157 (Montano/Uptown) connecting Cottonwood Mall and Uptown, the #222 (Rio Bravo/Sunport) from Rio Bravo and Coors serving the Rail Runner station at 2nd street and Rio Bravo and continuing to the airport, the #151 which connects Rio Rancho with the Rail Runner at the El Pueblo Station, and the #317 Rail Runner connection from Downtown to Kirtland Air Force Base.  The #157 and #151 are the first all-day routes crossing the river north of Central Avenue.
• In July of 2006, the free downtown bus service known as the D-Ride was launched.  It coincided with the opening of the Rail Runner as a way for Rail passengers to travel downtown after arriving at the Alvarado Transportation Center.  As of February 2008 more than 250,000 passengers have taken advantage of the D-Ride.
• The Student Ride Pass, where fulltime students could ride for free, was expanded to include the University of New Mexico and Central New Mexico Community College students.
• ABQ RIDE continues to successfully recruit motor coach and paratransit drivers, bringing current staffing levels to an all-time high. 
• ABQ RIDE made the largest single purchase in ABQ RIDE history by buying 58 new diesel/electric hybrid buses.  On March 15, 2008, the fleet became 100% alternative fuel and 100% compliant with the American with Disabilities Act.

Record Ridership

• ABQ RIDE reported more than 9.3 million passenger boardings for fiscal year 2007, the highest passenger ridership ever recorded.
• Between January 2007 and December 2007 ABQ RIDE provided 9,753,925 fixed-route, passenger trips. This figure signifies a 10% increase over the same 12-month period during the prior year.
• The Central Avenue corridor continues to average 350,000 boardings per month.

Paratransit Service

• ABQ RIDE continued to meet the needs of the mobility-impaired community and provided more than 182,000 paratransit trips. In addition, approximately 2 million revenue miles were recorded over the year.
• ABQ RIDE purchased 30 new paratransit vehicles to meet the growing demand for paratransit service and to replace older vehicles.  The new vehicles should be delivered early in 2008.

Facility Improvements

In a continued effort to develop unused space in the Customer Service area of the lower level of the Alvarado Transportation Center, a coffee shop was added to the north side of the building providing passengers with coffee, sodas and snacks.