NCRTD’s Blue Bus to make series of bus service improvements across north central New Mexico Aug. 5

The North Central Regional Transit District (NCRTD) Blue Bus will make a series of bus service improvements across north central New Mexico, effective Aug. 5.

Blue Bus service for key routes in Taos, Española, Red River and Chimayó, N.M., will be restored or extended. In addition, beginning on Aug. 3, more bus trips are being added for summer service on the Blue Bus’s popular Mountain Trail route serving the Santa Fe National Forest. 

The NCRTD was forced to reduce bus service operations on its Española and Taos routes in January 2024 due to a critical shortage of available drivers. Service to Red River has been suspended since November 2021 following the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to a labor shortage across the Blue Bus service area.

“We are pleased to take these significant steps to restore our free public bus service to communities across North Central New Mexico,” said Anthony Mortillaro, NCRTD executive director. “We have made considerable progress over the past six months to recruit, hire and train qualified and caring professional drivers and we hope to restore or expand service to more communities in the coming months.”

The NCRTD is also working with Pueblo tribal communities in Santa Clara, San Ildefonso and Tesuque, N.M., to improve bus service routes with a goal to implement significant route improvements in October 2024.

Upcoming service improvements include:

Española area

• 100 Riverside: Extending service hours to operate from 5:40 a.m. to 6:50 p.m. Monday through Friday. Since January, the route has been operating from 8:40 a.m. to 3:16 p.m.
• 110 Westside-Crosstown: Restoring the route to operate from 7:45 a.m. to 5:15 p.m. Mondy through Friday. The route was temporarily suspended in January.
• 150 Chimayó: Restoring service to Las Trampas, operating from 6 a.m. to 7:15 p.m. Monday through Friday. Service to stops in Truchas and Las Trampas was suspended in January.

Taos/Red River area

• 310 Red River: Restoring the route to operate from 5:55 a.m. to 6:40 p.m. Monday through Friday. The route was suspended in November 2021.
• 340 Chile Line Red: Extending service hours to operate from 7 a.m. to 6:53 p.m. Monday through Friday. Since January, the route has been operating from 8:45 a.m. to 2:57 p.m.

Santa Fe area

255 Mountain Trail: Adding more trips year-round, effective Aug. 3.