Bus Shelters on Central Get Smart!

ALBUQUERQUE – ABQ RIDE is upgrading the transit experience by implementing new high-tech bus shelters with improved safety and cleanliness.

“We’re ‘pulling out all the stops’ by investing in smarter and safer bus shelters,” said Mayor Tim Keller. “Customized to the unique needs of Albuquerque, they are yet another way we are prioritizing safe, enjoyable transit.”

With a vision to improve safety through design, ABQ RIDE leaders charged the organization’s resident welder, William Casias, to conceptualize a new bus shelter model to improve visibility and discourage loitering while still providing weather protection and comfort. The resulting “thin line” model removes the bench and advertising panels, and includes seats, wheelchair access, and shade. The shelter was tested successfully at the intersection of Central and Coors. 

“The results were amazing – we immediately saw less loitering and more people using the bus shelter for its intended purpose,” said Transit Deputy Director Bobby Sisneros. “By recognizing an issue and using our internal talent to solve it, we’ve made a real difference.”

ABQ RIDE contracted Tolar Manufacturing to produce a similar design that will replace all 55 bus shelters on Central in two phases:

• Phase I: 14 in the International District by the end of 2025.
• Phase II: 41 more along Central by summer 2026.

Phase I began this spring with one shelter in front of the International District Library and another at the intersection of Central and Louisiana. The former shelters will be repurposed in other transit corridors in need of shade and seating. Concrete work begins this month to prepare those sites. The remaining 53 Smart Shelters will be installed in the coming months once the existing shelters are relocated.

“We are happy our patrons have a nicer place to wait for the bus,” said International District Library Manager Florence Sablan. “Open access at our library is important to us, so it’s great to see ongoing support of transit in the neighborhood.”

The new bus shelter “smart” elements include:

• Solar LED lighting.
• Real-time arrival screens and a button for audible information at select high-ridership locations.
• Upgraded trash cans to discourage tampering and

The new design replaces the current shelters that were installed 10-20 years ago, offering better lighting and visibility as well as fewer opportunities for hiding, laying down, or vandalizing.

"Albuquerque Police Officers, Transit Safety Officers, and our ridership have a clearer view of the transit stop as they approach these open-design bus shelters," said APD Commander Gerard Bartlett. "We believe these bus shelter designs serve as an environmental approach to enhancing safety for all."

In addition to safety and cleanliness, Smart Shelters will improve visual appeal and reinforce the Rules to Ride.

“Access to cleaner, safer bus stops helps encourage ridership and deliver the best service possible for the community,” said Transit Director Leslie Keener. “Rather than having to take away bus shelters due to safety concerns, through smart design we can keep our shelters while boosting safety and cleanliness.”

This bus shelter improvement project dovetails with the upcoming Route 66 Centennial to bring pride and celebration to historic Central Avenue.

“Bus shelters make an enormous difference in how nice the experience of using the bus is, especially on Central where the buses come often enough that it's frequently worth waiting around for the next one,” said Transit Advisory Board Member and transit rider Patrick Martin. “The fact that the city has identified a shelter design that offers protection and amenities to riders while also furthering the safety and cleanliness goals that benefit all Burqueños, is a great development.”

Volunteers looking to give back through the Adopt-A-Stop program are invited to adopt the bus stop in front of the International District Library to assist ABQ RIDE’s routine maintenance efforts. Learn more about the Adopt-A-Stop program on ABQRIDE.com.

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