The Albuquerque Transit Department has announced a new campaign to improve safety aboard buses and at stops.
The effort will include ABQ RIDE personnel, the Albuquerque Police Department, the Metro Security Division and contracted security.
The safety initiative includes:
- Ten APD police service aides riding city buses to report incidents and educate the public about the Rules to Ride.
- Six APD transit safety officers enforcing the Rules to Ride and intervening as needed.
- Two Metro Security Officers patrolling the Alvarado Transportation Center 24/7, issuing misdemeanor citations and enforcing city ordinances.
- An average of four Metro Security mobile patrol units proactively conducting welfare checks and responding to calls at bus stops and on buses.
- Forty-seven contracted security personnel assigned to bus stops, transit centers, and buses who will report issues of concern.
- The APD’s Real Time Crime Center monitoring more than 2,700 transit cameras.
“This elevated security presence is proactively helping us curb incidents at bus stops and shelters that arise so issues aren’t boarding the bus,” transit department deputy director Bobby Sisneros said. “ABQ RIDE is already seeing improvements in transit safety, both visually and through a decrease in reported incident numbers which we attribute to these proactive initiatives.”
ABQ RIDE Spokesperson Madeline Skrak said so far in 2024 the system has had 116 security-related incidents, including assaults, disorderly conduct, vandalism and people with altered mental states.
She said the department’s internal reporting system shows the number of reported transit-related incidents on buses, at bus stops, and at transit facilities has decreased by 30% in the last three months.
Mayor Tim Keller said safety is vital to the well-being of people who rely on the transit system.
“Public safety is our number one priority,” he said. “That’s why we’re having multiple agencies pool their resources to improve our transit system. We want to ensure buses and stops are safe for everyone who uses this vital service and works to get people around town.”
In addition to the multi-agency partnership, the safety efforts include:
- Adding LED lighting to all transit facilities.
- Repainting more than 300 bus shelters and replacing all signage on Route 66 bus stops.
- Installing new easy-to-clean epoxy flooring at Albuquerque Rapid Transit station.
- A smoke-detector pilot program on select buses.
Skrak said city officials are hoping increased safety leads to increased ridership.
“In addition, increased ridership correlates to increased safety by having more eyes, ears, and bystanders on the bus,” she said.
Anyone wishing to report an incident may call 311 or 505-243-7433.
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