The City of Albuquerque’s transit is said to be en route to improved public safety. According to a release, ABQ RIDE is continuing to roll out the ABQ Long-Range Transit Security Plan to improve safety data collection and reporting.

ABQ RIDE is releasing insights from its eighth quarterly security report to the City Council, containing data from safety partners. Reporting started in the spring of 2024 following the launch of the transit safety officer (TSO) program.

“In the last few years, ABQ RIDE has become much safer,” said Transit Director Leslie Keener. “We went from no safety program or data to having a dedicated team of TSOs through the police department and working closely with Albuquerque Community Safety (ACS), the fire department, and contracted security. As we continue to improve our data collection and reporting, we hope to show how it’s reduced incidents, especially the more serious ones.”

Data Insights From ABQ RIDE’s Quarterly Report

• 21% decrease in safety calls due to fewer incidents.
• Class A (more serious) calls account for about 1-2% of total calls.
• The most frequent Class A incidents were vandalism and fire, accounting for 68% of Class A calls.
• Class A incidents decreased by 39% in Q3 FY26 compared to Q3 FY25.
• For every 100,000 passenger boardings, there are an average of 4 Class A incidents.
• 7% increase in APD calls reflects the transition to APD TSOs as ABQ RIDE’s primary safety partner.
• ACS responses doubled, resulting in a 101% increase.

“A key to upping safety is having good data,” said Transit Deputy Director Bobby Sisneros. “Our results will continue to improve as we fill positions such as a safety manager to oversee our transit safety program and a data specialist to fully implement reporting and collection practices.”

The next steps in the ABQ Long-Range Transit Security Plan include adding TSOs, improving data collection, and launching a new internal safety division.

See ABQ RIDE’s past safety reports here.