ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – After pushing to hire more bus drivers for well over a year, the City of Albuquerque is still fighting to get more people to take the job. ABQ RIDE has 133 drivers currently, but they need 111 more. “We started this hiring event back in October of 2023, and that was at the time that we had made our biggest service cuts. We cut around roughly 1,500 hours of service in 2023,” said Transit Director for ABQ RIDE Leslie Keener.
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The department said thanks to hiring events, they were able to add some services back in 2024, but toward the end of the year, they started to see a loss in drivers and lost some of those service additions. To get more people behind the wheel, the city is offering a $5,000 hiring bonus for drivers who come with a Commercial Driver’s License. They’re also now offering in-house CDL training and have made other changes. “We removed the education requirement, so all they need to bring is a driver’s license,” said Keener.
Before another round of service changes in August, ABQ RIDE is hoping to hire more by also telling new drivers about security changes. Those measures include more security guards and a newer rider app allowing easier reporting of problems. “I think someone should want to work here because they have a passion for public service. This is such an essential service to the community. We take people to see their friends, to see their families, to the drug store, to medical appointments. It’s just a huge impact,” said Keener.
ABQ RIDE said 12 new drivers will start this month, and they have another 20 in the pipeline, starting classes in May. It can take two months to get them prepped for the open road.