First day rides are free
A Carlsbad company next Monday will begin providing round trip commuter bus service between Santa Fe, Los Alamos and Española. And on this day, Laboratory workers and others can ride the buses free of charge.
Beginning Tuesday, May 13, the service costs $1 each way with stops scheduled at the East Jemez Road and Diamond Drive shuttle bus lot east of Diamond Drive at Technical Area 3 and at Central Avenue and 20th Street downtown, according to the state Highway and Transportation Department.
Passenger buses from KSL Services will provide transportation from TA-3 to outlying technical areas.
All Aboard America has purchased six, 57-passenger buses and six, 33-passenger buses for the commuter service, said Linda Trujillo of the Public Transportation Programs Bureau of the state agency. Two of the buses in the fleet will be used as replacement or stand-by buses. The new service is expected to reduce the number of vehicles on heavily traveled U.S. 84-285 now under construction between Pojoaque and Santa Fe.
May 12-16 is national Transportation Week and to celebrate, the highway department on Monday is providing free service to commuters, Trujillo said. A number of events are planned at the department’s central office on Cerrillos Road, Trujillo said.
Trujillo said the highway department has received $2.6 million in Federal Highway Administration funds for the commuter service.
The Red route is from Española to Santa Fe and Santa Fe to Española.
The Blue route is from Santa Fe to Los Alamos and vice-versa.
The Green route is from Española to Los Alamos and vice-versa.
The first buses leaving Española for Santa Fe depart at 6 a.m., stopping in Pojoaque at 6:15 a.m. and stopping at three separate locations in Santa Fe (see route schedules).
The first bus from Santa Fe to Española leaves at 4:55 a.m., from Alta Vista Street at Pen Road behind the highway department’s Cerrillos Road headquarters. It arrives in Española at 5:55 a.m. after one stop in Santa Fe and Pojoaque.
The first bus leaving Santa Fe to Los Alamos depart at 5:40 a.m. from Alta Vista Street at Pen Road. After a 6:15 a.m. stop in Pojoaque it arrives at 6:45 a.m. at TA-3 and 10 minutes later at Central Avenue and 20th Street near Mesa Public Library. Additional buses leave in 30-minute intervals.
Buses leave from Los Alamos to Santa Fe at 7 a.m. from Central Avenue and 20th Street, stopping at TA-3 at 7:10 a.m., in Pojoaque at 7:35 a.m. and at three locations in Santa Fe. Additional buses leave in 30-minute intervals.
The first buses leaving Española to Los Alamos depart from the pickup area at Paseo de Onate lot west of Riverside Drive on the south side of Paseo de Onate just before the Onate Street bridge at 5:30 a.m. It arrives at TA-3 at 6 a.m. and at Central Avenue and 20th Street 10 minutes later. Additional buses leave in 30-minute intervals.
Buses leave Los Alamos to Española at 6:15 a.m. from Central Avenue and 20th Street, travel to TA-3 for a pickup at 6:25 a.m., arriving in Española at 6:55 a.m. at the pickup/dropoff lot.
Departure and arrival times and pickup/drop off locations are subject to change.
Trujillo of the highway department said monthly passes will soon be available at Brewer Oil Co. Shell and Chevron locations in Santa Fe, Los Alamos and Española.
Trujillo added that the highway department is looking for additional pickup/dropoff locations on Santa Fe’s south side.
Commuters who have questions or comments about the new service can write to S. U. Mahesh of the state Highway and Transportation Department at S.U.Mahesh@nmshtd.state.nm.us by electronic mail.
To print a copy of the schedule, click here. (Adobe Acrobat Reader required).
-- Steve Sandoval