Life, food, events, and community in Albuquerque, NM

Bus=Learning Experience

I would like to hop on a bus with my 3 and 5 year old and head downtown to the library and/or the duck pond...problem is we have never taken an ABQ city bus and the website doesn't seem user-friendly to newbies like me (imho)...so if there are any fixers out there who can help I would greatly appreciate any tips/advice or recommended routes you may have!
we would be leaving from the Northwest Transit Center...
Thx all!

Tags: abq, bus, downtown, duck-pond

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Dave on May 26, 2009 at 8:13am: Hi mom, what a great thing to do with your kids. There is a group on here for bus related questions, if you are going to be a regular user you might want to join it...you'll learn everything you every wanted to know about ABQRide.

Anyway, to your question...if you take the Rapid Ride blue line (790), it goes directly from NTC to the UNM campus at Yale & Central. The duck pond is an easy walk from there. You can also use the same route to go to the main library...just switch at this stop to either the Rapid Ride red line (766) or the Central Ave line (66) to the library.

To go home from the duck pond, just reverse the route. To get back from the library, you can use the downtown get-around to get to the blue line stop on Lomas and 5th st. You might be able to walk it, but I will have to defer to others to answer whether it is too far to a 3 year old to walk. You can also just get back on the red line or 66 and transfer at Old Town for the blue line.

In general, the easiest way to use ABQRide is to use their online trip planner, or call 243-RIDE for assistance. Good luck!; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by abqmom on May 26, 2009 at 8:17am: THANK YOU!
p.s. can I bring a small stroller onboard?; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by shotsie on May 26, 2009 at 8:26am: Nothing to be scared about the bus - they have a handy trip planner - http://www.cabq.gov/transit/trip-planning - enter in the start and end destinations and desired times, then they list various options for you. Just be there on time - and bring two dollars each for a day-long pass.
It's always tough to take that first step, but you'll see that our bus system is quite good, and the kids will probably think of it as a grand adventure. Have fun!; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by abqmom on May 26, 2009 at 8:32am: yes! I just found the trip planner! VERY user-friendly! thx!; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Barelas Babe on May 26, 2009 at 9:05am: Great idea, Abqmom! It'll be a fun summer adventure for you and your kiddos. We did this ages ago when my children were young; it was one of their favorite adventures. One of the upsides of this is that I've now help create two avid bus-riders, one of whom prefers it to driving! (More green, etc.)

1. An umbrella (folding) stroller is fine for the bus.
2. The reality is that you might see a broader swath of humanity on the bus than your kiddos have seen before - you may want to think about how to handle your kids' questions beforehand. :)
3. In case you haven't seen it yet, here's a link to the RG library system summer Children's Entertainment Schedule.

Have a great time!; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by abqmom on May 26, 2009 at 11:04am: perfect thank you! LOVE the library!; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by shotsie on May 26, 2009 at 10:35am: Hey, ABQMom - I'm a member of the city Transit Advisory Board, and I'd be interested in your adventures using the bus this summer (I hope it's more than once, that is..). Anyway, since postings in this section appear and disappear so quickly, maybe you (or Sophie or someone knowledgeable) could move this posting or start something similar in the group "ABQ Bus Riders" and leave a running blog of your thoughts about a newby on the bus system (with young kids in tow, even better). Any suggestions or criticisms will be directed towards the head of transit - Greg Payne is always at the meetings and he's pretty good about fixing problems.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by abqmom on May 26, 2009 at 11:05am: will do! :); ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Ten Nebula on May 26, 2009 at 11:49am: hey,

you can get all the maps you need at the bus depot on 1st street or some at the main library (5th & copper).
The 66 and 766 on central can take you to either place.

I wish you great rides,
Ten Nebula; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Laura on May 26, 2009 at 12:10pm: Sounds like a great adventure! My 5-year-old daughter and I love taking the bus. Although the buses are usually on time, be prepared for when they're not. It's those in-between times when you really have to keep your kids entertained and away from the streetcurb, where they're tempted to step out to see if the bus is coming.

Have fun!; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by abqmom on May 26, 2009 at 7:54pm: We did it! We took the Rapid Ride 790 from the Northwest Transit Center to UNM&Central this afternoon!
Trip highlights from a 5 year old's perspective:

glitter on the floor!
the stretchy middle part!
no seat belts!
city bus drivers are nicer than school bus drivers!
singing "people on the bus"!

Downside:
no music/radio on board!

it was a good experience...we did overhear and see some colorful characters along the way, but nothing that would deter us from taking another bus ride downtown...the bus was clean, fast, on time and CHEAP!; ▶ Reply to This