Sometimes school bus programs don’t necessarily include a vehicle. In New Mexico, Albuquerque Public Schools is set to receive a $2.7 million federal investment to help students walk or bike to school (or the bus stop) safely.

The funding, which was announced on Jan. 12 by U.S. Rep. Melanie Stansbury via X (formerly Twitter), comes from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Safe Streets and Roads for All program. According to Stansbury, the grant will support the district’s Vision Zero for Youth Initiative to expand supervised walking routes.

Vision Zero was initiated in Sweden in 1997 to reduce pedestrian fatalities, and it has since succeeded in “halving the number of deaths on Swedish roads.” According to APS’s website, the City of Albuquerque and the State of NM consistently rank among the nation's highest rates for pedestrian fatalities, so the Vision Zero framework was adopted across NM cities and school districts to help improve student health, community safety, and overall school attendance.

Some excellent news for once! DOT just announced a $2.7 million grant for @ABQschools' Vision Zero for Youth Initiative—our largest school district in the state. 

This grant will help protect students walking to school, walking to the bus, or riding their bikes in the…

— Rep. Melanie Stansbury (@Rep_Stansbury) January 12, 2026

A statement on the APS site reads: “The [initiative] takes the approach that traffic deaths and injuries to students and community members are preventable through education about transportation safety for not only students of APS, but the Albuquerque community as a whole.”

APS to Launch New Walking School Bus Programs Under Vision Zero Initiative

The APS Vision Zero for Youth Initiative will also launch Walking School Bus Programs, which involve trained adults supervising students as they walk to and from school on planned routes.

“This $2.7 million grant will make it possible for us to launch 40 additional Walking School Bus Programs over the next four years, significantly boosting our efforts to make streets safer for our students,” APS Superintendent Gabriella Blakey told City Desk ABQ.

The grant will fund walking school bus conductors, a program coordinator, route and program development, and essential materials, along with data collection to guide future traffic safety improvements.

A critical component of this initiative is student engagement, which has helped the district create an effective traffic safety curriculum, awareness campaigns, and action plans to improve pedestrian conditions for students.

"Every child deserves to get to school safely — no matter their neighborhood or how they travel," Stansbury said.