Red Apple, Navajo Transit will celebrate partnership Friday

• The celebration will take place at 1:30 p.m. Friday at the Walmart parking lot bus stop at 1400 W. Main St.
• The draft agenda for the event includes speeches by Navajo Nation and Farmington officials.
• The agreement will provide shared transfer stops for the two bus systems.

FARMINGTON — Red Apple Transit and the Navajo Transit System finalized a memorandum of agreement earlier this month that would allow riders to easily switch between the two systems.

The transit systems will celebrate the agreement with a Partnership for the Transit Systems event at 1:30 p.m. Friday at the Walmart parking lot bus stop at 1400 W. Main St.

The draft agenda for the event includes speeches by Navajo Nation and Farmington officials.

Red Apple Transit administrator Andrew Montoya said in an email to The Daily Times that the agreement will provide shared transfer stops for the two bus systems. The transfer stops will be in Kirtland and at the Walmart on West Main Street in Farmington.

The Kirtland transfer point will be at the bus stop at the intersection of U.S. Highway 64 and County Road 6400.

He said Navajo Transit riders can transfer onto Red Apple buses at any transfer point without being charged a fare. On the return trip, the rider will pay the Red Apple Transit fare, then board Navajo Transit buses without being charged for an additional ticket.

Buses from both Navajo Transit and Red Apple Transit will be at the Friday event for people to tour.

In the email, Montoya said the event also will include a blessing of the route by a Navajo Nation medicine man, and people will hear a brief history about Red Apple Transit.

Hannah Grover covers government for The Daily Times. She can be reached at 505-564-4652 or via email at hgrover@daily-times.com.