Bus Planning and Operational Support for Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta

Foursquare ITP helped the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta (AIBF) to plan, set up, and operate bus terminal facilities and high-throughput passenger queueing systems at the event venue, incorporating data-driven lessons from three prior years of operation. The Balloon Fiesta has bus terminals that serve mostly unidirectional passenger movements (either all inbound or all outbound) and must accommodate very large passenger outflows at the conclusion of each session. Designing and managing these terminals can pose many challenges.

Foursquare ITP designed and helped set up and manage a set of efficient, customer-friendly terminal facilities that were crucial to the success of the event, enabling the swift movement of large numbers of people inbound before the start of event activities and outbound after their conclusion. Efficient, customer-friendly terminal facilities are crucial to the success of bus systems that operate in support major special events like the Balloon Fiesta. They enable the swift movement of large numbers of people inbound before the start of event activities and outbound after their conclusion.

Foursquare ITP contributed meaningfully to the successful setup and operation of the bus passenger queueing systems at Balloon Fiesta Park during the 2023 Balloon Fiesta, one of the largest planned special events held regularly in the United States, with daily attendance roughly equivalent to the Super Bowl. AIBF’s park-and-ride bus system is essential to the event’s success and carries up to 30,000 passengers each day.