ABQ Ride debuts first five electric buses

Five new electric buses were unveiled by ABQ Ride, with buses beginning servicing routes in June. 

In 2019, the Keller Administration announced the transition to low-emission vehicles for the city’s fleet and with these buses, there are now 160 of those vehicles on the streets. 

“We’re so thankful to be able to take this next step towards sustainability,” said Bobby Sisneros, acting director of the transit department, city of Albuquerque. “Not only do these buses create positive impacts for the environment, they’re also cheaper to operate, so it was the perfect time to make this investment.” 

The five buses are the first electric vehicles to be utilized by ABQ Ride and the city hopes to continue adding electric vehicles over the coming years, with the goal of utilizing them exclusively by 2040. 

“Public transportation has always been a more sustainable way to get around town and now these new buses are helping us drive home our commitment to being 100 percent renewable by 2025,” said Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller. “Our work to fight climate change is not over and we will continue to make the changes necessary to leave our kids a healthy place to live.” 

ABQ Ride and city leaders also recognized the winners of ABQ Ride’s kids-only art contest, which was conducted in 2021. All winners received prints of their art and cash prizes. In addition, two of the new electric buses are wrapped with artwork submitted by the winning contestants. Kids were encouraged to submit artwork that promoted environmental consciousness and sustainability. 

Partnering with CTE 

The Center for Transportation and the Environment (CTE) is partnering with ABQ Ride on the deployment of the five new Proterra battery-electric buses and charging infrastructure.  

CTE supported ABQ Ride’s successful 2019 Federal Transit Administration (FTA) Low or No Emission Vehicle (Low-No) Program grant proposal that funded this deployment. As part of CTE’s Smart Deployment service offerings, CTE also provided technical support to ABQ Ride, including: 

• Project planning; 
• Route modeling; and 
• In-depth energy analysis. 

With the completion of the agency’s initial deployment, CTE is developing a strategic plan for ABQ Ride to minimize costs associated with a full-fleet transition. 

“CTE is proud to partner with ABQ RIDE to ensure this deployment was properly planned for and successfully executed so the citizens of Albuquerque can enjoy the cleaner air and the quieter ride these buses have to offer,” said Dan Raudebaugh, executive director, CTE. 

The city of Albuquerque is one of more than 1,000 cities around the world to join the United Nation’s Race to Zero Campaign, which rallies leadership and support from businesses, cities, regions and investors for a healthy, resilient, zero carbon future. The city’s Climate Action Plan outlines 50 strategies for addressing climate change, including the transition to clean transportation.