Albuquerque Rapid Transit

In 2004, the City of Albuquerque began operations of its first Rapid Ride bus line, as a precursor to a light rail system along Central Avenue. The plans for light rail were disbanded, and the Rapid Ride became a permanent system, expanding to three different lines in 2006 and 2009. Studies to build a rapid transit system using either buses or streetcars also took place in 2006, but no action was taken.[6] Although the Rapid Ride is a limited stop express bus service, it lacks several key features of BRT, such as dedicated travel lanes and off-bus fare payment. The first line opened, and ran from Unser to Wyoming, then going to the Uptown Transit Center. A second Rapid Ride opened in 2006 to the northwest side, and the Rapid Rides were given color designations, the 766 Red Line and the 790 Blue Line. In 2009, the third Rapid Ride, the 777 Green Line, started service from Downtown to Tramway Boulevard. The Red and Green Line Rapid Rides were designed to supplement the heavily traveled 66 bus which travels from Tramway Boulevard to Unser Boulevard, as well as transport passengers to popular destinations.

In 2011, during the administration of Mayor Richard J. Berry, the City of Albuquerque began a feasibility study of creating a true BRT system along Central Avenue.[6] The plan called for the elimination of the current Rapid Ride routes and the placement of a new system utilizing new buses, dedicated travel lanes, transit signal priority, and off-board fare collection. Central Avenue, also known as Historic US Route 66, is not only a popular tourist destination, but a major surface artery through Albuquerque. This street made the plans for starting a transit oriented development scheme a good starting point.

In February 2014, the city filed for federal funding to construct the proposed BRT system,[7][8] and the federal government approved the filing in March.[9] Later that month, the City presented a demonstration bus to the public to generate interest in the project.[10] In October, The City presented its final draft and alternative analysis to the public in a series of meetings.[11] The current design calls for both mixed-use lanes and dedicated Bus lanes, depending on the location. Except for a few stations near downtown, stations will board in the median, and the buses will have doors on both sides to accommodate the platforms. East of Louisiana Boulevard and west of Coors Boulevard, ART will share travel lanes and use existing Rapid Ride stops. The path will follow the existing 66 bus route to Unser Boulevard.[12][13][14]

The proposed route changed somewhat during the planning phase. Early materials depicted ART making a stop at the Unser Transit Center (CUTC) before continuing to 98th St., but the CUTC serves as the western terminus of the system as built. ART was expected to cost $119 million, with federal funds covering $100.6 million (about 84%) of the project.[15] As of March 2016, the city has also promised to consider a 20th stop within the International District, but have not yet announced where that stop will be put or how it will be paid for.[16] In April 2017, it was decided that the 20th stop in the International District will be located at San Pedro and Central, with funding provided by the city councilor of that district.[17]

There are plans to create other BRT systems throughout the Albuquerque metro, by various organizations such as ABQ RIDE and the Mid-Region Council of Governments (MRCOG). Studies being conducted include an intersecting BRT system on University Boulevard from Menaul Boulevard to the airport,[18][19] and another BRT system on Paseo Del Norte.[20][21]

ART received a recommendation for $69 million in federal funding as part of the proposed FY 17 budget and anticipates the start of construction in May 2016 pending FTA approval to spend local funds.[22]

Opponents of the ART project filed suit in April 2016 to stop construction from going forward, but both the U.S. District Court and Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals refused to grant a temporary injunction against the project, allowing the city to proceed while the case was pending.[23][24][25] In September 2016, local contractor Bradbury Stamm was awarded an $82.6 million contract to build the ART system. Construction was scheduled to last 16 months, with a completion date near the end of 2017.[26] Work began in October 2016, starting with the removal of medians and landscaping to make room for the new bus lanes.[27] In December, the Court of Appeals ruled in favor of the city, finding no legal grounds to stop the project.[28] The suit against the city was subsequently dropped, ending a nearly year-long legal battle.[29]

During construction, businesses near the ART route complained that the project was impacting their business, and some were forced to close or cut back on staff.[30][31] In April 2017, the city announced a short-term loan program aimed at helping small businesses survive the construction.[32]

One of the rejected BYD electric buses

ART went into limited service on November 25, 2017, providing free trips to and from the Albuquerque BioPark for the River of Lights event.[4][33] However, full service was delayed, and incoming Mayor Tim Keller began to allude to problems with the system after he took office in December. On January 9, 2018, he held a press conference where he called ART "a bit of a lemon" and said he was not sure when it would be operational. According to Keller, the problems included inconsistent platform heights, ADA violations, and at least one intersection whose geometry was unable to accommodate a 60-foot bus safely. He also described issues with the electric buses and charging equipment supplied by BYD Auto, including faulty batteries and leaking axles on the buses and inoperable chargers. The River of Lights service was suspended after Keller's administration learned that a stopgap solution of charging the buses using portable generators could potentially void the warranty.[34][35] Both BYD and Bradbury Stamm said they would work to fix the issues at no additional cost to the city.[36][37]

In January, 2018, crews began work to resolve some of the issues with the ART stations.[38] BYD struggled to fill the bus order and had only delivered 15 of the 20 buses by November. An investigation by the city Office of Inspector General identified various issues with the buses, and reported that city inspectors sent to BYD to check the buses were not properly trained. It was further reported that the first ART bus had been cobbled together from "parts and pieces" intended for a different agency, Antelope Valley Transit Authority, in response to pressure from city officials to deliver the bus before the end of Berry's term.[39] The city decided to reject the buses and filed suit against the company in December, alleging that "BYD had failed to meet the scheduled deadline for providing the 60-foot articulated buses and that the vehicles it ultimately delivered were unsafe, had defects such as cracked frames and improperly installed wiring, and did not meet the represented miles-per-charge standard."[40] BYD counter-sued and ultimately the two sides settled with no additional money changing hands. Twenty diesel buses were purchased from New Flyer as a replacement for the BYD order.[41] The vandalism of dormant stations and the perception of increased traffic on the remaining traffic lanes has led some to criticize the project. Some businesses along the route also reported a temporary decrease in sales. [42] After the system's relaunch, the vandalism problem was subsequently resolved and foot traffic to establishments reportedly increased.

On November 8, 2019, Mayor Keller announced that ART service would begin on November 30, 2019 to coincide with "Small Business Saturday." Buses were unveiled displaying bus-wraps featuring local landmarks and artwork. The Mayor stated that the previously identified issues to the system have been remedied and went on to announce that rides on the ART System would be free through December 31, 2019 to encourage the public to try the new system. [43]

By February of 2020, ART saw large ridership increases over the Rapid Ride routes that it replaced over the previous year's numbers. The first month of ART service which was offered for free to the public saw ridership more than double over the same period in 2019, while the first month of paid service saw ridership increase by more than 30% over the same period in 2019.[44]