In partnership with RideCo, Albuquerque, New Mexico’s ABQ RIDE will provide more reliable and cost-effective transportation for the Southwest Mesa and Rio Grande service areas. 

“Our City’s transit system is constantly innovating,” said Mayor Tim Keller. “ABQ RIDE Connect is just one of the many services giving our community flexibility in how they get around. Microtransit is particularly unique, providing free rides in areas with fewer fixed bus routes. Now we’re taking it even further by pairing ABQ RIDE Connect with the industry’s leading on-demand transit technology.”

Making the Transition

ABQ RIDE Connect will formally transition to the ABQ RIDE GO! app on October 20. On the launch date, riders can uninstall the former ABQ RIDE Connect app. Effective immediately, the new app is available for download on Google Play and the App Store to ensure a smooth transition with plenty of time for microtransit riders to make the switch.   

“Upgrading to this new software is opening doors for our popular and fast-growing microtransit service,” said ABQ RIDE’s Transit Director Leslie Keener. “It allows us to make ABQ RIDE Connect more cost-efficient while maximizing our staffing and vehicle resources. More importantly, this software positions us to take our cutaway services into the future — ensuring the public can quickly and easily get where they need to go across the City with our growing network of free transit options.”

ABQ RIDE’s transition to RideCo software will happen in two phases. The software migration for ABQ RIDE Connect is the first phase, and ABQ RIDE will soon announce the second phase. 

Building on Success

ABQ RIDE Connect was launched in March 2024 and has since delivered over 20,000 rides to the public, with an average success rating of 97%, and nearly 10,000 rider profiles created. 

This new software will allow ABQ RIDE to reduce operational costs, improve efficiencies, and enhance the rider experience by optimizing routes every 20 seconds based on traffic patterns, driver availability, ride cancellations, and rideshare schedules for dynamic routing and automated scheduling to provide the best efficiencies for riders to arrive at their destination safely and on time. 

According to ABQ RIDE officials, the new software will cost $205,000 annually, resulting in $150,000 in annual savings compared to the previous costs of microtransit and paratransit software. 

New features for ABQ RIDE Connect riders:

• Faster service: reduced travel and wait time. 

• Increased trip transparency.

• Enhanced rider communication.

• Dynamic routing.

• Automated scheduling.

• Riders can choose whether to schedule rides on ABQ RIDE GO! or by calling our customer service team at 243-RIDE.