City Ups Bus Order with New Flyer, Plans to Open ART Lanes for Special Events

December 12, 2018

Today, Mayor Tim Keller announced that the City has increased their bus order with New Flyer and has a plan to make use of ART lanes during the service delay. The City Transit Department now has an order for 20 buses in with New Flyer and will open ART lanes for special projects and events.

The ART bus line requires 20 buses to run at full service, and the City worked with New Flyer to get those buses on order. The buses will be built with doors on both sides of the bus so they are flexible for use in the ART lanes or ABQ Ride. While New Flyer fills the City’s order, the Department of Municipal Development will make the ART lanes and stations available for special events such as marathons or charity races, art installations, local pop up business days, and street music.

“We know that the ART project has put Albuquerque through a lot, and we’re working on ideas to make it more useful for our city,” said Mayor Tim Keller. “We are on our way to having enough buses to fully service the ART corridor as we continue to review more renewable energy options for the future. While we wait for those buses to come in we’re looking at safe, innovative ways to make good use of the bus lanes.”

The Department of Municipal Development is working on a permitting request process for businesses, local artists and vendors to apply for use of the ART lanes and stations. In addition, the lanes will be available for loading and unloading for businesses along the route on a permit basis.

“As we evaluated use of ART lanes, we came up with a process that will ensure consistency in the rules of the road and safety, but also give local businesses an opportunity to use the spaces while we work on getting the corridor up and running,” said Bernie Toon, Director of the Albuquerque Transit Department.

Traffic rules still apply in the ART corridor, including restrictions on crossing a double white line and the rumble strips.