New Mexico Taxis and Car Rental
If you plan to limit your New Mexico trip to Santa Fe, it is completely feasible to get by without a car. It’s a confusing town to navigate given the 400 years of road planning involved. But travel anywhere else in the state and you will require your own set of wheels to get around. New Mexico is about as rural and as undeveloped as any state in America, so you will be left largely to your own devices in terms of transportation. A rental car will prove an invaluable asset once you hit the open road and start absorbing the incomparable natural scenery that permeates the state. Albuquerque’s airport has several major car rental firms to choose from, and all the roads are well-marked and fairly easy to navigate.
You can find taxis in both Santa Fe and Albuquerque, but few other cities in New Mexico have cabs. They never cruise around looking for fares so you need to keep a phone number or two handy to call for a pick up. In Santa Fe, Capital City Cab (+1-505-438-0000) is the main company, while Albuquerque’s Yellow Cab (+1-505-247-8888) provides 24-hour service.
New Mexico Trains and Buses
Although Amtrak operates two train lines that pass through New Mexico, they only stop at a couple of towns convenient for tourists. The Southwest Chief line is the most useful, making a detour in Lamy, from where you can arrange a shuttle to nearby Santa Fe and Albuquerque. The seats are comfortable and the scenery is amazing, although fares are comparable to regional flights into Albuquerque. The only intercity train runs between Albuquerque and downtown Santa Fe, which is a great way to hop between the two main cities if you don’t have a car.
To reach smaller towns in New Mexico, the Greyhound bus company is by far the most convenient and cheapest option. Long-distance buses stop in all the major cities like Albuquerque, Santa Fe, Las Cruces, and Gallup. Unfortunately, Greyhound buses are not very comfortable and their schedule can be constraining.