ABQ Times

ABQ RIDE has replaced old fare boxes with new automatic passenger counters (APCs) to count riders. Since July 1, 2024, the city's transit system has been using APCs to collect ridership data. This method showed that ridership reached 645,974 in July and 667,727 in August, the highest numbers since March 2020 when it was at 630,292.

"Getting this more accurate picture of how many folks are actively using our transit system will allow us to further improve service, safety and efficiency," said Mayor Tim Keller. "The fact there are so many choosing to ride our city’s buses shows we’re on the right track to building back our transit system."

This technology shift moves away from traditional fareboxes. When Albuquerque purchased the Albuquerque Bus Company in 1964, founding ABQ RIDE, metal boxes next to the driver collected bus fares. These were manually emptied each day by a Vault Puller. In recent years, fareboxes counted passengers upon collection. With Zero Fares implemented, ABQ RIDE relied on manual driver counts of passengers.

"ABQ RIDE is ahead of the curve with a frictionless Zero Fares system," said Transit Director Leslie Keener. "With fareboxes no longer necessary, we have an opportunity to improve ridership data quality by taking out the margin of human error through digitization of our system."

Since 2019, ART buses have had APCs. Now this technology provides data across ABQ RIDE's fleet and serves as the official data source for ridership submitted to the Federal Transportation Administration (FTA) for annual funding. The APCs detect people entering and exiting through doors above every door, improving data quality and efficiency.

APCs provide reliable counts and record locations where riders get on and off the bus. This helps ABQ RIDE evaluate productivity at specific stops or route segments for future service planning.

The new data collection shows a 25% increase in ridership since last July. Demand for public transportation continues to grow even though ABQ RIDE is running at two-thirds capacity. Despite this reduction, service remains as productive per vehicle hour as before the pandemic. Increased ridership strains current staffing resources and highlights the need for more drivers and mechanics. ABQ RIDE aims to return to full service once these positions are filled.

ABQ RIDE encourages candidates to apply for driver and mechanic positions with hiring incentives ranging from $500-$5,000. For more information about ridership, available jobs, and hiring incentives, visit ABQRIDE.com.