The city is once again running a bus from Northwest Albuquerque to the University of New Mexico — and it has even added a stop at the Central New Mexico Community College.
Madeline Skrak, a spokesperson for the Transit Department, said the popular Route 790 which starts near Cottonwood Mall and stops in Old Town and Downtown will benefit students and staff who commute to campus.
The route had been put on pause since March 2023 due to understaffing, Skrak said. She said the transit department had been covering the area with “baseline service” but now that they have more staff it is able to accommodate more routes.
Route 790 is expected to run through the fall and spring semesters and then be added to a new route map.
The Route 790 will run hourly on weekdays from about 6 a.m. – 7 p.m., starting at the Northwest Transit Center near Cottonwood Mall and going: south on Coors, east on I-40, south on Rio Grande, and east on Lomas through Downtown, and South on University where it will now provide service to CNM as well as UNM.
The city is working to implement the ABQ RIDE Forward Plan’s Recovery Network to revamp the bus system by reexamining routes, and when buses run. It plans to begin implementing the new map next summer.
“We heard the community and are reintegrating the Route 790 as soon as staffing levels have permitted,” said Transit Director Leslie Keener. “While many routes serve the UNM area, this route improvement will serve CNM’s main campus for the academic year before we transition into even better connectivity in our Recovery Network.”
Chief Administrative Officer Samantha Sengel said in a new release that the city had been working with CNM to make it easier for students to use public transportation.
“Many students commute from the West Side, and the return of this route connects them to training and education that leads to employment opportunities,” Sengel said.
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