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SCRTD reports strong ridership growth, rolls out Saturday service and hybrid buses
Summary
South Central Regional Transit District Executive Director David Armijo reported 27.4% year‑over‑year ridership growth through the first seven months and described fleet, service and facility investments including expanded Saturday runs, new hybrid buses and work on a solar microgrid.
David Armijo, executive director of the South Central Regional Transit District, told the board on May 28 that ridership is up sharply and the agency is expanding service and equipment to match demand.
Armijo said the system had recorded about 98,000 trips through the first seven months of the fiscal year and reported year‑over‑year growth of 27.4%. “That’s still very healthy,” he said. “We’re very lucky that we’re able to continue to sustain almost 30% a year.”
The district has added weekend service and extended several routes. Armijo said Saturday service recently began on the green route and that the copper route was extended to New Mexico State University to improve connections. He gave specific route examples, saying the copper route rose from roughly 245 rides in its first month to about 676 last month, and that the blue route increased from about 272 to 461 in the same span.
Managers are also adding newer vehicles, Armijo said. He told the board the agency expects to put hybrid buses into service soon and that it has more hybrid and electric vehicles on order. “We’re thinking of focusing [a hybrid]… it may rotate between the turquoise and the red route,” he said. Armijo said four hybrids will be in the fleet in the near term and that additional electric buses remain in procurement queues.
The district is piloting micro‑transit and on‑demand services, Armijo said, and is investing in maintenance and dispatch systems. He said the agency recently completed the environmental review for its Venus facility and is moving toward state approvals: “We just completed the NEPA,” he told the board.
Trustee Powe praised the service’s reach into Sierra County. “This county has a large number of people who do not have vehicles, and you are providing their only means of transportation,” she said during the meeting.
Board members and staff discussed operational constraints: staffing levels limit how quickly new weekend and micro‑transit service can expand, and managers said vehicle availability is tied to federal procurement timelines and manufacturer schedules. Armijo said the district is also evaluating on‑site solar generation and a microgrid at its facilities to reduce operating costs over time.
The discussion produced no formal vote; staff said they will continue vehicle roll‑out, finalize procurement and present budget detail at next month’s meeting.
