The City of Albuquerque is asking residents for their thoughts on how to improve the transit system.
Riders can express their concerns, experiences and advice in an online survey, according to KRQE. The survey is offered by the Transit Department at a website created to highlight the “ABQ Ride Forward” program. Transit officials are hoping to learn what’s important for riders and accumulate data on how often a person takes the bus, which routes are better than others and public opinion on what the highest priorities should be.
“This phase is really the phase that’s going to now get us more of the concerns and what those priorities are for people to help us direct how we make changes to the design of the transit system we currently have in place,” Transit Director Leslie Keener told KRQE.
The Transit Department also will team with the Albuquerque Police Department to improve the response time to incidents of violence that occur on the buses. More than a thousand bus cameras will be connected to the Real-Time Crime Center. “ABQ Ride Forward program comes amid a surge in violence on city buses. A KRQE report detailed cases where bus drivers have been attacked by passengers, and even a case where a man who missed the bus along Central Avenue showed his displeasure by firing six shots at the bus as it drove away.
Frequent bus riders welcome any improvements in crime prevention, cleanliness and scheduling.
“That it can be dirty. It’s kind of the only issue I’ve ever had, I haven’t had huge issues with the schedule,” UNM Student, Daniel Hurren told KRQE. “I may have had one or two buses that haven’t made their schedule.”
Keener said, like the rest of the nation, Albuquerque is suffering through a driver shortage, adding the current bus driver vacancy rate is at 45%.
