7 Million + Rides Strong: ABQ RIDE is Making a Comeback
Boston Chauffeur Expands Luxury Fleet with New MCI J4500 Motorcoach
UPDATE
The amenities included 8’, 12’ and 16’ Tolar Sunset shelters with advertising displays, the first Sunset advertising shelters for the city of Nashville, as well as 16’ and 20’ BRT Shelters based upon the Sunset design and includes mounting for Daktronics RTIS provided and installed by WeGo. Also included were ten EcoShade shelters, which feature two fully welded bench seats mounted on both sides of the center column, providing seating at smaller bus stops, and 16’ Voyager MAX shelters with agency branding and logos installed at The Fairgrounds Nashville on Nollensville Rd. All shelters feature a radius roof design, aluminum and steel construction, and fully welded roof structure. Solar lighting systems are integrated into the roof structures providing automatic dusk-to-dawn security lighting and additional power for E-Paper RTIS signage. All parts are finished in super durable baked powder coat. Other amenities that were installed include 13” pole mounted E-Paper RTIS signs that operate with longlife battery power and 100 PV Stop + with RTIS and dusk to dawn security lighting.“ We are proud to partner with WeGo Public Transit to enhance the rider experience with our innovative and durable transit shelters,” said Scott Williams, Business Development Manager for Tolar Manufacturing Company.“ With features like solarpowered lighting and E-Paper Real Time Passenger Information Signs, these amenities not only provide comfort and convenience but also support WeGo ' s mission to create a more efficient and rider-friendly transit system.”
contributed to a recovery in ridership. Since the launch of the( now permanent) Zero Fares Pilot Program in January 2022, ridership increased by 20 percent. ABQ RIDE Connect, the City’ s new microtransit pilot program, added more than 9,100 rides to the 2024 ridership count.“ Ridership data demonstrates there is substantial demand for transit services in Albuquerque,” said Transit Principal Planner Andrew de Garmo.“ Despite significantly reduced service levels due to driver and mechanic shortages, ridership is strong and productivity per service hour is extremely efficient. ABQ RIDE is well on its way to putting the pandemic in the rearview mirror.” In addition to a growth in ridership, the accuracy of counting ridership has improved by onboarding Automatic Passenger Counters( APCs). Counting ridership used to rely on fareboxes and then manual counts when the pilot program launched.“ We’ re almost 80 percent of the way to recovering pre-pandemic ridership levels over what has been a long, winding road,” said Data Analyst Kevin Welch.“ Our reporting systems are more accurate than ever with APCs, which provide data we are utilizing to drive efficient management and route solutions.” To meet the demand for public transportation services, ABQ RIDE needs to hire more drivers, mechanics, and more. Learn about ABQ RIDE’ s hiring incentives ranging from $ 500- $ 5,000 and a training program which provides free CDL training and testing.
7 Million + Rides Strong: ABQ RIDE is Making a Comeback
ABQ RIDE’ s 2024 ridership count is in and totals 7,362,536 rides provided to the community across three services: bus( fixed route and ART), paratransit( Sun Van), and microtransit( ABQ RIDE Connect) services.
The 2024 data shows:
• An increase of 390,000 + rides over 2023
• An increase of 1.1 million + rides over 2022
• An average of 28 people served per vehicle service hour
“ We are turning the bus around and ridership rising back up toward pre-pandemic levels in Albuquerque,” said Mayor Tim Keller.“ By implementing Zero Fares, improving transit safety, and launching microtransit to help folks connect, our transit system is more accessible for Burqueños to get across our city.” The transit industry was highly impacted by the pandemic, causing a dramatic decline in bus ridership across the globe. Zero Fares has
Boston Chauffeur Expands Luxury Fleet with New MCI J4500 Motorcoach
Motor Coach Industries( MCI), a subsidiary of NFI Group Inc.( NFI) and North America’ s motorcoach leader, offering in-field technical expertise, 24 / 7 roadside assistance, and parts support, today announced the delivery of a new, premium MCI J4500 motorcoach to Boston Chauffeur, a premier black car and limousine service based in Massachusetts. This delivery marks Boston Chauffeur’ s second MCI coach purchase, signaling the company’ s confidence in the growing demand for motorcoach services alongside its established luxury transportation offerings. The newly acquired coach, which MCI showcased at the recent CD / NLA trade show in Las Vegas, is a fully customized, deluxe J4500. This coach is designed to provide an unparalleled travel experience for the company’ s high-end clients, including corporate groups, wedding parties, and private charters.
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