ABQ RIDE Connect Onboards New App

ALBUQUERQUE – To improve the rider experience, ABQ RIDE is making microtransit rides easier and faster. In partnership with RideCo and their award-winning proprietary software, ABQ RIDE will provide more reliable and cost-effective transportation for the Southwest Mesa and Rio Grande service areas. 

“Our City’s transit system is constantly innovating,” said Mayor Tim Keller. “ABQ RIDE Connect is just one of the many services giving our community flexibility in how they get around. Microtransit is particularly unique, providing free rides in areas with fewer fixed bus routes. Now we’re taking it even further by pairing ABQ RIDE Connect with the industry’s leading on-demand transit technology.”

ABQ RIDE Connect will formally transition to the ABQ RIDE GO! app at 7:30 a.m. Monday, October 20. On the launch date, riders can uninstall the former ABQ RIDE Connect app. Effective today, Tuesday, October 7, the new app is available for download on Google Play and the Apple Store to ensure a smooth transition with plenty of time for microtransit riders to switch over.   

“Upgrading to this new software is opening doors for our popular and fast-growing microtransit service,” said Transit Director Leslie Keener. “It allows us to make ABQ RIDE Connect more cost-efficient while maximizing our staffing and vehicle resources. More importantly, this software positions us to take our cutaway services into the future — ensuring the public can quickly and easily get where they need to go across the City with our growing network of free transit options.”

“We are excited to support ABQ GO! in modernizing ABQ RIDE's demand-response services, aligning with the agency’s vision of delivering an integrated, multi-modal regional transportation system,” said Prem Gururajan, co-founder and CEO of RideCo, the customer success leader in cloud-based on-demand transit technology.“With the upcoming upgrade of ABQ RIDE Connect, we will assist the city to enhance service efficiency, elevate the customer experience, and help drive growth in ridership.”

ABQ RIDE Connect launched in March of 2024 and has since delivered more than 20,000 rides to the public with an average success rating of 97% and nearly 10,000 rider profiles created. This new software will allow ABQ RIDE to reduce operational costs, improve efficiencies, and enhance the rider experience by optimizing routes every 20 seconds based on traffic patterns, driver availability, ride cancellations, and rideshare schedules for dynamic routing and automated scheduling to provide the best efficiencies for riders to arrive at their destination safely and on-time. The new software will cost $205,000 annually, resulting in $150,000 in annual savings compared to the previous microtransit and paratransit software costs. 

New features for ABQ RIDE Connect riders:

• Faster service: reduced travel and wait time. 
• Increased trip transparency.
• Enhanced rider communication.
• Dynamic routing.
• Automated scheduling.
• Riders can choose whether to schedule rides on ABQ RIDE GO! or by calling our customer service team at 243-RIDE.

“Microtransit has been a huge success in Albuquerque,” said Transit Deputy Director Mike Davis. “Everyone has their preferred way to get around, and it’s been exciting to see people discover that microtransit is a convenient option for short trips across the city that connect to fixed-route bus service. Families use ABQ RIDE Connect to get to school, residents zip to the grocery store, and visitors explore destinations around Old Town. This service is reaching new audiences, and we look forward to building on its success with improved technology — ensuring ABQ RIDE Connect riders continue to enjoy reliable, fast, and efficient door-to-door service.”

“I use ABQ RIDE Connect to run errands a couple times a week. It saves me a lot of hassle when I’m out and about. The vans are always fast, and the service helps people get closer to their homes without having to walk so many blocks from the bus stop by dropping you off right in front of your house. My rides are always the same – convenient, on time, I get there quickly, and I don’t have to wait,” said microtransit rider Louis Garcia. I’m surprised more people don’t know about it – I always tell my friends it’s like Uber but free!” 

ABQ RIDE’s transition to RideCo software will happen in two phases. The software migration for ABQ RIDE Connect is first, and ABQ RIDE will soon announce the second phase. 

Please visit ABQ RIDE.com for more information on the transition to RideCo software and ABQ RIDE Connect,which operates Monday – Friday from 7:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m. Please call our customer service team at 243-RIDE to ask questions, learn more, or request a tutorial on using or downloading the new ABQ RIDE GO! app. 

###

ABQ RIDE’s mission is to provide the community with clean, safe, and reliable transportation.