As guests from Omaha, Nebraska, the Rail Runner was on the top of our list for things to do whilst…read morevisiting New Mexico. We had the opportunity to visit once again during the Balloon Fiesta and were staying in Albuquerque. A day trip to Santa Fe sounded like the perfect idea so we hopped online and purchased our tickets. The process was fairly simple and extremely inexpensive (our toddler was even free)! The stations that we visited were clean and well maintained. Staff were helpful and polite on the train. We found the interior of the train to be clean and comfortable. Our ride was beautiful. We had the opportunity to see great views of the mountains and some of agricultural land through New Mexico. If you are visiting Albuquerque or Santa Fe, I strongly encourage a trip on the Rail Runner. It's definitely a great economical option for travel!

What a great surprise this was! We road from san5a fe to Albuquerque shopped and loved ride…read more Perfect experience

The downtown station is nice and clean little challenging finding the platform as there is…read moreconstruction and the signage does not clearly give directions. Wish there was place to get coffee while waiting.

The downtown train station is a bit sketchy. I know they're going through some construction right…read morenow, but it was not well lit and there were a number of homeless people hanging around.

It's just a train stop and that's it, but a very important one I would imagine for locals and…read moretourists alike. I waited here for the rail runner train to Albuquerque, which arrived perfectly on time, and was painless to figure out even for a visitor like me. You just wait based on the schedule, it shows up, and you can buy your ticket online or on-board. You can also buy a day pass, which is worth it if you plan to ride more than one way, a significant savings. This stop has a large parking lot for commuters, and bike lockers for those who routinely would bike to and/or from the stop. It's right in the heart of the downtown area of Santa Fe, and there are plenty of places to eat, drink, and shop nearby while you wait. For me, it was an excellent junction point for my trip. Served it's purpose, this public transit is GREAT, and the ABQ/Santa Fe area is lucky to have it.

I loved this area. It has many shops, restaurants, and other facilities. It's clean and surrounded…read moreby a park and the train that takes you into town.

Buses in Santa Fe suffer from lack of funding and an apathetic public, who supposedly care about…read morethe climate but who drive doggedly no matter how awful the traffic or foul the air. The best way to illustrate the problem is to point out that Santa Fe Airport is an international airport, but none of the Santa Fe Trails bus routes go there--at all, ever. You see gloriously happy people hiking and biking on the wonderful walking trails, but when it comes to grocery shopping, appointments, school, work, etc. the middle class simply gets in their car and drives. If you live near Route 4, which is reliable and useful, you are fine. But most of the city of Santa Fe is simply inaccessible by public transportation, and they do not care.

The Santa Fe Trails bus system is a convenient and inexpensive way to get around town if you don't…read morehave a car or don't feel like walking to your destination. For $1 each way, Route M heads up to Museum Hill and gets you there in 10 minutes. The drivers are friendly and the buses are clean and practically empty. It's like having your own private chauffeur with lots of leg room. Culture shock if you take public transportation in the big cities!

I have used the Alvarado Transportation Center on numerous trips to Albuquerque, by plane and…read moretrain. If coming in by air, there is a free shuttle from the airport to Alvarado Transportation Center, and if by train, walking half a block. On my most recent experience, yesterday, I arrived by train at 11:45 AM. My friend, who lives off Academy near San Mateo, would be home from work around 5, so my plan was to go pick up groceries for a festive dinner, then take the route 93 commuter to within 2 blocks of my friend's home. The Rapid Ride buses are fantastic! I went from ATC to Central and Louisiana, Ta Lin market, in under 20 minutes. Traveling along Central, I saw several Thai restaurants and made the decision to try one on the return trip. Returning toward downtown, I selected a route 66 bus as the Thai restaurants were between Rapid Ride stops but the 66 stopped across the street. After lunch, I proceeded back down to ATC. On arriving, I went and sat in the waiting area, as it was 2:30 PM and my express bus did not depart until 4:15. The security personnel in and around the facility are to be commended. Their presence is obvious, and if folks bring problems with them, the security personnel quickly deal with the problems. One lady had some sort of medical consideration; she fainted in front of the information desk. Very quickly, paramedics were called and the person on the floor was given protective space. I felt very comfortable with the whole experience. The suggestion I would offer is that the rapid ride buses I was on were never more than 1/4 full, but each route 66 bus I took was standing room only. Maybe switch out a couple of the articulated coaches for the standard on the route 66? Can't beat the price, either! $2 for a day pass?

While dining at the Frontier, a friend urged me to sign a petition against Area Rapid Transit. 69%…read moreof residents polled won't use ART(http://nmpoliticalreport.com/tag/albuquerque-rapid-transit/). I don't blame them. Many of my brushes with death or getting my ass kicked in ABQ have occurred on a bus or near a bus stop. Chicken buses in the Guatemalan Highlands are safer. (https://www.worldnomads.com/explore/central-america/guatemala/chicken-buses-and-guatemala-transport) A mouthwash drunk on the Route 66 Central bus once shoved a half-eaten piece of cold pepperoni pizza in my face. When I declined it, he offered it to three other passengers. A female voice from the back of the bus screamed, "You need to get off the bus right now because I'm about to put you in the hospital. We're already right in front of Presbyterian; they can come scrape you off the street!" Wasn't sure she was talking to me but the scene was stressful, so I pulled the cable to request the next stop. A voice yelled "Whore! He's a fucking faggot. Don't worry, he's not interested in you!" Saw the pizza guy's mugshot on the news a couple weeks later in regards to a fatal stabbing at a Central Avenue and Wyoming bus stop. Ladies on the bus can pretend to be on the Bachelorette; speed-dating dudes freshly released from BCDC. A guy sat next to me on an empty bus and told me about his dream to become a journalist and how he used to be a reporter with the navy. I said cool! good luck! and then he asked for my number. I told him that I'm married, and then he told me that he took an AIDS test earlier that day. He said his ex-girlfriend of seven years was cheating on him and then asked for my number again. We approached my stop and I learned it was also his. He said, "Well this is it." Luckily, it was raining. I felt less awkward running the other direction. Once, I saw a boy of about ten drinking Arizona Iced Tea sitting in the oscillating section of the Rapid Ride while his father sat on an adjacent horizontal row. The man's arm was in a sling and he was covered with various scars, fresh bruises and abrasions. His son became increasingly animated and started surfing the center lane.The bus stopped abruptly; the kid yelled "WHOAAAA." When he almost fell, everyone was staring. The father yelled"SIT DOWN!" "Goddammit dad, this fucking sucks" the kid said and changed the subject to Cliff's Amusement park. "Dad, will you take me there when you get paid or when you get some money?" The father stood up, clutched the pole with his good arm and when the bus made another sudden stop, he took a hard tumble into the center aisle. The boy screamed. "Help! Stop! My dad's hurt!" It's true, $57 million dollars in federal funds might be put to better use than A.R.T. People might be more inclined to use existing public transportation if taxes were used to help people with mental illness and drug problems get off the street (and the bus). During peak hours, there is a smattering of UNM students and commuters. Unaccompanied small children use the bus to get to school. Maybe applying fed gov't $$$ towards education might help people embrace public transport. Almost half of New Mexicans are functionally illiterate! ( See http://www.literacylinkleamos.org/docs/New%20Mexico%20Literacy%20Stats.pdf) After we house the homeless, and more people learn to read maybe they will reconsider their relationship with their cars and give public transportation a chance. They could learn that in New Mexico driving/riding in a car is people's most deadly daily activity. (See https://www.abqjournal.com/682511/new-mexico-drivers-secondworst-in-us.html) Maybe they'd even become interested in Jeff Speck's walkable city theory. (See https://www.brainpickings.org/2012/11/15/walkable-city-jeff-speck). If people enjoyed walking to bus stops where they weren't afraid of being stabbed, Albuquerque might be a richer city! (see https://www.fastcompany.com/3062989/50-reasons-why-everyone-should-want-more-walkable-streets and http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/06/20/walkable-cities_n_5507956.html) Wanna know more about city transit? Michael Jerome Wolff/Miguel Villalobos did an extensive cultural study of the experience on his blog https://albuquerquebusstops.com/. Shit's wild.

When Los Alamos County decided to start taxing the Atomic Energy Lab that is based within their…read morejurisdiction, a whole bunch of new tax revenue was suddenly sitting prettily in their city coffers. Which is why the Atomic City Transit is such a nice bus line. While visiting Bandalier National Monument and enjoying lunch in the picnic area, I noticed these colorful buses that appeared regularly in the parking lot. They were the Atomic City Transit buses, which operate from 6:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m. Monday - Friday except for holidays. It is important to know that during the summer months, you cannot drive into the park between 9 and 3. The reason for the shuttle is that a fire and subsequent flooding in the area made this necessary. It's only a 20 minute ride on theshuttle bus. The free shuttle runs from White Rock Visitor Center, about 8 miles from the park entrance. It runs every 20-30 minutes. If you're hiking a distance, you can drive into the park before 9 am and park at the lot by the visitor center. There is a $12 fee. When I tiptoed down to feel the water in Frijoles Creek, (freezing!) I stopped to admire a bus that was on a scheduled break. The Los Alamos buses are clean and neat. They do not look like any of the hard core buses you see in large urban areas. Even better, ACT actually brings you to the local Airport at your request! According to the ACT website, "ACT Route 2 serves the airport (LAM) upon request. Riders should advise the Route 2 driver of airport terminal building destination when boarding the bus. Riders should call 661-RIDE (7433) to request a Route 2 pick-up at the airport terminal building." Imagine that! Calling your city bus to come get you at the airport or drop you off at your request! Even better--ACT has an ACTracker which links to the bus line's real time route information site. Click on this link from any computer or mobile device for route maps and estimated arrival times. You can also create an account and sign up for service updates. Yes, this is a great transportation system! 5 YELP STARS!

I can't believe it but after 3 hrs of waiting for either uber or Lyft I called this place and they…read morehad a driver over within 20 minutes. Completely professional driver and a nice ride to boot. I would highly recommend them AAA+++

Plaza cafe! Historic & downtown Great diner feel with real…read moreNew Mexico cuisine Will even make dishes topped "Christmas" red and green chili sauce if you want to try both. Green is our favorite. Delicious chicken sopesadas and chips with salsa! Don't pass on dessert either

As it says on the website, "Albuquerque features more than 400 miles of on-street bicycle…read morefacilities and multi-use trails." In 2015 Bicycling Magazine recognized #ABQ as #17 among America's Top 50 Bike-Friendly Cities. Ever since that year back at the beginning of the last quarter of the last century when I lost my driving privileges as a result of enjoying driving too fast I've had the opportunity to watch ABQ's bike lanes, routes and paths increase dramatically. I used to ride from the room I rented in my Grandmother's home near Arroyo del Oso Golf course to UNM every morning and back again late every night. I usually took San Mateo out of a) innocence and b) lack of viable alternatives. Nowadays there are so many alternatives that are shorter, quieter and less smoggy I wouldn't dream of getting near a boulevard like San Mateo. Among my favorites trails are the Paseo del Bosque, Paseo del Nordeste, the North Diversion Trail, and the Paseo de las Montanas. Favorite bike routes include Claremont for quiet East/West traversing, Alvarado and San Pedro for North/South commutes. The growing number of Bicycle Boulevards thrills me! The bikes painted on the asphalt, the 18mph speed limits and the way they are generally on streets where traffic ought to favor bikes and pedestrians is a wonderful addition to our thoroughfares. My most used one is Silver Ave and I like Mountain Road a lot, too. I also look forward to seeing more and more Protected Bike Lanes like the ones the City has just painted downtown. Putting parked cars next to moving ones to protect bicyclists and pedestrians is a great move! Wherever you live in ABQ there's likely a good place for you to ride. If you're new to bicycle riding as a means of commuting for recreation please be aware that appropriate places to ride don't include sidewalks or riding against traffic. Finally, I tip my hat to ABQ Ride and ART. By adding a Bus I can dramatically extend my bike commutes, saving money and a tiny li'l piece of the planet at the same time. I look forward to expansion of both services.

Date of travel: September 8, 2025…read more Disappointing Experience at the Albuquerque Train Station As a tourist traveling from a long distance, I expected the station to feel more welcoming. Unfortunately, it did not. The security guard appeared to be controlling access to the lobby in a way that made it feel closed off and uninviting. A train station should be a public space where travelers--especially out-of-town visitors--can wait comfortably for their bus, train, or car service. Albuquerque has the potential to be a more tourist-friendly city, but experiences like this can leave a bad impression. I hope changes are made to ensure the station is more open and welcoming in the future.

Yikes. Grateful I didn't have to spend much time here...?! It shares a lot with greyhound and the…read morelocal metro buses in case you're transferring.