County explores reinstating Saturday transit service and will test two electric buses

Keith Wilson told the task force the county completed a 13‑week Saturday transit pilot with solid ridership and is assessing whether to restore weekend service more permanently. He said the pilot used the county's on‑demand MyRoute service and the paratransit MyAssist program continues to provide door‑to‑door service for riders who cannot access fixed routes.

Wilson said staffing — hiring and retaining bus drivers — remains the biggest operational challenge and that the county is considering on‑demand adjustments to make fixed routes more attractive. He added that all county transit services are free to riders.

On fleet modernization, Wilson said two electric buses are on order with production planned in May and delivery expected in July or August; the county intends to place the vehicles on Route 1 (the downtown route) for an initial trial. He warned that battery weight and range limitations make EVs better suited initially for shorter, downtown routes, and noted some heavy equipment uses hydrogen rather than battery electric power.

Members asked about costs and charging infrastructure; Wilson did not provide full procurement totals in the meeting but said the deliveries are scheduled next summer and staff will evaluate performance before expanding EV use. He also discussed how LANL runs its own bus service and that regional park‑and‑ride arrangements require transfers at public transit centers.

Task force members asked Wilson to provide contact points and additional data for follow up; no formal funding or procurement decisions were made during the meeting.