GETTING AROUND ALBUQUERQUE
The best things about Albuquerque public transit are the bicycle racks on the front of the buses, and the new Rail Runner high speed train.
That having been said, the city mass transit system is clumsy, confusing, and pricey.
You can use your bike for exercise, or to get to remoter places not served by the bus system. Buses only have space for two or three bikes, depending on the model of vehicle.
THE ABQ Ride
The ABQ Ride, www.cabq.gov, the monopoly transit system, is owned by the city. On February 1, 2009, a radically different fare structure went into effect. Free transfers between routes were abolished. Instead the regular $1.00 adult one-way fare morphed (if you need to use another route) into the $2 all-day pass, thankfully, sold by the driver. But the drivers still carry no change. Adult and student tokens will no longer be sold, but can be used until further notice.
Exceptions to the basic fare are many and varied. You can purchase passes good for unlimited rides for: *one day, two days, or three days
*one, three, six, or twelve months
Three day passes cost $6, college or vocational students (with a current class schedule) can purchase a yearly pass for $90. Students age 10 and up, the mobility impaired and "Honored Citizens" (age 62 and up) can ride for six months with a Silver pass for $50. A Gold Pass, for anyone, with unlimited rides, costs $225. There is usually a special promotion rate for kids during the summer months.
Passes are non-refundable.
Students age 10 through high school, the wheel-chair bound, those on Medicare, and "Honored Citizens" can ride one time for only 35 cents with proper identification. Children 10 and under ride free with a paying adult.
The system offers special Park and Ride service to and from major events such as the Balloon Fiesta. And there is a special more individualized Sun Van department dealing with services to the disabled, with certain criteria. An independent company last year gave ABQ Ride high praise for accessibility and navigability for disabled citizens. For its efforts to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), it ranked "on a par with the best in the country."
Downtown in the central city, the buses tend to be ugly, with tacky large-sale advertising, or clumsy, garish so-called art. Going further out, not all stops are sheltered from the weather, or even have benches. At some stops, the only clue is a dark-yellow painted curb, which can easily be covered by snow. Some busy stops have a small computerized sign, which tells you when the next bus will arrive. Listen carefully: some rush-hour buses are express and may not get you exactly where you want to go.
Albuquerque IS NOT a 24-hour city: check times and routes carefully before you embark on a trip. Weekends and holiday schedules vary. Drivers are usually friendly and willing to help. But have a backup plan.
In order to be a truly modern, efficient large-city system such as Washington, D.C., New York, or Atlanta, Albuquerque had a long way to go and may never get there.
Rail Runner
Albuquerque, New Mexico's largest city is not a bedroom' or commuter city. That may change. With the approximately 55 mile distance to the government and cultural capital of Santa Fe being made easier by the new Rail Runner, www.nmrailrunner.com, more and more people may decide to work farther from home, now freed from the high price of gasoline.
The Rail Runner is not exactly a local imperative, yetit's more like a town to town system. It's owned jointly by the New Mexico Department of Transportation (NMDOT) and the Mid Region Council of Governments (MRCOG); it's operated by a company called Herzog.
The concept was seriously formed when Gov. Bill Richardson decided, in 2003, to make it a priority. In 2006, it was inaugurated with the opening of three stations: Downtown, Los Ranchos, and Sandoval County. Phase II, the extension to Santa Fe, opened with a fanfare on Dec. 17, 2008. There are now ten stations open, with three more coming soon. Consideration is being given to extending the system to Soccoro in the south, and Las Vegas (the one in New Mexico, not Nevada) in the north.
The Rail Runner can take you from Belen in the south, to Santa Fe in the north for a fare of six zones or $7 one way, or $9 for a one day pass. Like ABQ Ride, passes are available for purchase. A reduced fare monthly pass for travel for one zone is $17, while a full-fare yearly pass for six zones is $1,100. (Zones have anywhere from two to five stops in them.)
Reduced fares apply to Senior Citizens 65 and up (three years older than the age 62 of ABQ Ride), students with a valid ID or proof of enrollment, and people with disabilities. Again, children under ten ride free.
If you decide to take some pictures of the scenery with your mobile camera phone or other device-DON'T. Native Americans are extremely camera shy, going back to an ancient belief connecting images with their souls, and forbid photography on their land. The Rail Runner crosses both the Sandia and the Santa Domingo Pueblo, and consequently also has a total ban on picture taking.
Other Travel
Getting out of Albuquerque may be much easier than getting around in it. The city bus system serves the "Sunport," the local mid-sized airport used for commercial, business and some military interface. It does not serve the "Double Eagle," the private airport where the late lamented "Eclipse" company was based. Amtrak and Greyhound services are available.