By Jesse Jones, The Paper. — For 70 years, Burqueños have celebrated Christmas Eve aboard the Luminaria Bus Tour, riding city buses through the Old Town and Huning Castle neighborhoods to see glowing luminarias and neighbors gathered around bonfires. Now, the city has ended the tradition, saying the tour is no longer cost-effective.
At Monday’s City Council meeting, Councilor Joaquín Baca questioned the decision to cancel the tour without council or neighborhood input. Representing and growing up in the area, Baca recalled filling sandbags as a child for the Christmas Eve tradition. “That’s now gone,” he said. He warned that removing buses, police security and free sand could force over 300 private cars into Old Town, threatening pedestrian safety. “A city that’s number one in pedestrian deaths is adding more foot traffic?” Baca asked. He added that losing the event deprives transit drivers of vital holiday double-overtime pay. “Did we take a poll of the transit drivers? Did we just ruin people’s Christmas? Is the city the Grinch?” he said.
The city’s transit department cited low participation as a reason for ending the tour in a press release. Although tickets usually sell out quickly, about 62% of reserved tickets go unused on average. Last year, the tour cost the city $200,000 to serve 586 riders, about $341 per person, according to the department. Federal rules prohibit the city from charging more than the regular fare. Because ABQ RIDE is free, the city collects no fare revenue to offset the cost. Transit officials also said ending the tour gives drivers time off to spend the holiday with their families.
Chief Operations Officer Matthew Whelan said staffing shortages and the cost of running the tour drove the decision. The Christmas Eve event requires 27 extra buses and 10 Sun Vans, straining a transit department already short on drivers. Whelan took responsibility for failing to notify council members before the public announcement, though he noted that even long-running programs sometimes require reconsideration.
In the press release, the city stressed that ending the tour will not extinguish the tradition. “Luminarias are part of who we are as Albuquerque, and that tradition isn’t going anywhere,” said Transit Director Leslie Keener. ABQ RIDE and neighborhood partners are exploring alternative walking or revised bus options. Baca said he plans to introduce a resolution to secure funding and restore the bus tour.