Area served Northern New Mexico Number of lines 21 | Annual ridership 209,750 Began operation 2007 Number of vehicles 43 | |
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The North Central Regional Transit District operates a network of several local and intercity bus routes in northern New Mexico, serving Santa Fe, Española, Taos, and many smaller communities along a network of 20 fixed routes and two demand-response routes. All routes operate Monday through Friday only, with the exceptions of the "Taos Express," which operates only on weekends, and the Mountain Trail route, which operates daily. These two routes are also the only routes to require a fare; all other routes are free to ride. The service is supported primarily by transit gross receipt taxes, which provided 73% of the RTD's revenues in 2014.
Contents
History
The North Central RTD was created in September 2004 by the New Mexico Transportation Commission under the Regional Transit Act, a law passed by Governor Bill Richardson that authorized the creation of Regional Transit Districts in New Mexico. The RTD first began public transit operations in 2007 after consolidating with local transit services in Rio Arriba County. In the following years, NCRTD expanded service further, aided by a gross receipts tax of one-eighth of one percent that was approved by voters in 2008.
In January 2015, NCRTD took over operations of the weekend Taos Express bus service, and in July took over operations of the local Chile Line bus service in the town of Taos. In September 2015, the RTD opened a new route serving the Santa Fe Ski Area. And in March 2016, the RTD began service along a new route between Santa Fe and La Cienega.
Current members of the district include Los Alamos County, Rio Arriba County, Santa Fe County, Taos County, and Torrance County, as well as several pueblos, including Ohkay Owingeh, Pojoaque, San Ildefonso, Santa Clara, and Tesuque.
Blue Bus Tracker
In March 2015, NCRTD launched the Blue Bus Tracker, which allows riders to view bus routes and stops, as well as to view service alerts and expected departure times based on real-time GPS data. Each bus stop on the network is identified by a unique number, which is displayed at the stop; by inputting the number into the Blue Bus Tracker or by texting the number to an automated service number, real-time information can be viewed for that stop.
Recognition
In October 2014, NCRTD was one of five rural transit agencies nationwide recognized by the Federal Transit Administration with the "Administrator’s Award for Outstanding Public Transportation Service in Rural Public Transportation." NCRTD was also honored by the New Mexico Department of Transportation as the "2014 Section 5311 Rural Transit System of the Year," and was honored in both 2009 and 2012 as the "Job Access and Reverse Commute Transportation System of the Year."
Planned expansion
On 28 September 2015, the new Mountain Trail route opened, providing service between the city of Santa Fe and the Santa Fe Ski Area. This route will be operating as an eight-month pilot program to determine whether full service should be pursued. Unlike most other NCRTD routes, there is a $5 fare to ride, although this is compensated for with discounts for lift tickets at the ski area. Multiple stops are made at trailheads and various locations in the Santa Fe National Forest.
The 2016 budget for NCRTD also accounted for a new service from Santa Fe to Las Golondrinas and La Cienega, although the specifics of this route have not yet been announced.
List of routes
100 Riverside: Riverside Drive, Española
110 Westside-Crosstown: Fairview Lane, Española
150 Chimayo: Las Trampas - Chimayo - Española
160 Santa Clara: Santa Fe/Ohkay Owingeh - Española - Santa Clara Pueblo
180 El Rito: El Rito - Ojo Caliente - Española
190 Chama: Chama - Española via U.S. Route 84
200 Santa Fe: Española-Pojoaque - Santa Fe
220 Tesuque: Española-Tesuque - Santa Fe
230 San Ildefonso: San Ildefonso Pueblo - Pojoaque
255 Mountain Trail: Santa Fe - Santa Fe Ski Area
260 La Cienega: La Cienega - Santa Fe
270 Turquoise Trail: Santa Fe - Madrid - Golden via New Mexico State Road 14
280 Eldorado: Edgewood - Eldorado - Santa Fe
290 Edgewood: Edgewood - Eldorado - Santa Fe
300 Taos: Taos - Española via New Mexico State Road 68
310 Red River: Red River - Questa
320 Questa: Taos - Questa - Costilla via New Mexico State Road 522
330 Peñasco: Taos - Peñasco - Las Trampas
360 Tres Piedras: Taos - Tres Piedras via the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge
400 Los Alamos: Los Alamos - Española/Pojoaque
Taos Express: Taos - Española - Santa Fe (weekend express)
RTD Chile Line: Taos local service
Pojoaque-Nambé Dial-A-Ride: Pojoaque - Nambé Pueblo (demand-response service)
Other RTD funded services
The North Central RTD also funds two local bus networks in the area. In Santa Fe, the RTD funds Santa Fe Trails, which provides service on ten fixed routes, two downtown circulator routes (the Santa Fe Pickup) and a paratransit service that provides demand-response transportation for elderly and disabled persons (the Santa Fe Ride). In Los Alamos and White Rock, the RTD funds Atomic City Transit, which provides service on seven fixed routes, five school bus routes, and a Dial-A-Ride system.