New Mexico Park and Ride
| Founded | 2003 |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Santa Fe, New Mexico |
| Service area | State of New Mexico and El Paso County (Texas) |
| Service type | Public transportation |
| Routes | 11 |
| Fleet | 23 [1] |
| Daily ridership | 1,258 [1] |
| Operator | New Mexico Department of Transportation |
| Website | http://nmparkandride.com/ |
NMDOT Park and Ride is the name given to a network of intercity buses in New Mexico and Texas, operated by the New Mexico Department of Transportation. The network is composed of eleven routes, including eight intercity routes and three local shuttle routes in Santa Fe, New Mexico. It is the fifth largest public bus transit operation in New Mexico based on ridership, with a yearly ridership of 315,738 for 2014.[1] Service is provided in the morning and evening peak hours, with no service during midday, and buses operate on weekdays only.
History
NMDOT Park and Ride began service in 2003, operating the Blue, Green and Red routes. Service began on the Purple route - then serving Santa Fe and Albuquerque - a few months after. In the following years, Park and Ride expanded service even further, opening the Orange, Silver and Turquoise routes. In 2008, the New Mexico Rail Runner Express was extended to Santa Fe, and so the Purple route was rerouted as an express between Los Alamos and the NM-599 station. The most recent route on the system, the Gold Route, was opened in 2009, marking the first extension of the network into Texas.
Routes
Blue route
The Blue route operates between Santa Fe and Los Alamos with an intermediate stop in Pojoaque. Twelve daily northbound departures leave Santa Fe; eleven daily southbound departures leave Los Alamos, with two southbound trips continuing to the NM-599 station.
In Santa Fe, the Blue route begins at South Capitol station. In the morning, northbound buses will stop at the Santa Fe Lot (outside The Lodge at Santa Fe) before continuing to Los Alamos, while southbound buses will stop outside the State Capitol and at the Downtown Transit Center (at Sheridan Street); this stopping pattern is reversed in the afternoon. In Pojoaque, buses stop in the parking lot for the Cities of Gold Casino. In Los Alamos, buses call at the TA-3 Transit Center at LANL, the Los Alamos Medical Center, and the Mesa Public Library.
Green route
The Green route operates between Española and Los Alamos. Thirteen buses depart daily in each direction.
In Los Alamos, buses call at the Mesa Public Library, the Los Alamos Medical Center, and the TA-3 Transit Center at LANL. Buses terminate at the Española Transit Center before returning to Los Alamos.
Red Route
The Red route operates between Santa Fe and Española. Six buses depart daily in each direction.
In Santa Fe, the Red route begins at South Capitol station, and travels to the stops at Alta Vista and the New Mexico State Capitol. Southbound morning buses call at the Downtown Transit Center (at Sheridan street), while northbound morning buses call at the Santa Fe Lot; this pattern is reversed in the afternoon. After leaving Santa Fe, buses will call at Cities of Gold Casino in Pojoaque and will terminate at the Española Transit Center.