Transit, Vulnerability & Activity

Transit plays a key role in connecting Albuquerque’s neighborhoods to jobs, schools, and services. This map brings together data on transit ridership, neighborhood vulnerability, and local activity to highlight where public transportation is most used and where community needs may be greatest. By layering these datasets, we can better understand the relationship between transit access and the people and places it serves.

The Layers:

This map explores patterns of transit use in Albuquerque. The Transit Users (lines) layer, which appears by default, shows estimated average weekday transit riders along major corridors. Additional layers can be toggled on or off using the table of contents in the upper-right corner of the map. Each dataset is described below:

Social Vulnerability Index (SVI) is a measure developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) using census tract–level data. It combines factors such as income, household composition, minority status, language, housing, and transportation to highlight areas where residents may be more vulnerable to social and environmental stresses.

Activity Density estimates the level of activity within each census tract by combining residential population with employment. Areas with both high numbers of residents and jobs are important destinations and often coincide with strong transit demand.

Bus Stops (proportional) shows the location of stops along Albuquerque’s major transit routes. Circle size reflects total daily boardings and alightings from ABQ RIDE ridership data. The largest circles highlight the busiest stops, which often align with areas of higher activity density.

Downtown Core

Downtown is where many transit lines converge, with most beginning or ending at the Alvarado Transportation Center. It is also home to high activity density with many jobs and a growing number of residents. It’s no surprise that downtown Albuquerque shows some of the highest ridership and stop activity in the region.

UNM / Central

The Central Avenue corridor is the urban spine of Albuquerque. Toggle on the activity density layer, and you’ll see many of the city’s highest values concentrated here. To the east lies the International District, where the Social Vulnerability Index reveals higher levels of vulnerability. Bus stop activity is especially strong along Central, particularly near the intersections at San Mateo and Louisiana.

Westside Corridors

On Albuquerque’s Westside, overall transit use is lower. ABQ RIDE has invested in relatively frequent routes such as the Coors bus (Rt 155) and, previously, the Blue Line Rapid Ride (Rt 790). However, the 790 had the lowest productivity (boardings per hour) of any frequent route. Transit on the Westside faces challenges including lower activity density and a less connected street network, which makes walking more difficult.

Data sources

  • Transit ridership & bus stops: ABQ RIDE (boardings, alightings, stop locations).
  • Social Vulnerability Index (SVI): CDC/ATSDR Social Vulnerability Index.
  • Activity Density: U.S. EPA Smart Location Database (field D1D).
  • Basemap: © OpenStreetMap contributors; Carto tiles.

Any errors or interpretations are my own.