Looks like this finally may be happening, but in a different, neighboring location:
http://newsok.com/new-site-is-proposed-for-relocation-of-union-bus-station-operations-in-oklahoma-city/article/3659153

just across the street from the "old" new location

Why don't they just move it to the old union depot train station it's right next to the new I-40 and it's right next to a bus stop too. That seems like the best location and it's actually downtown.

Because the old Union Train Station is going to become part of the new Central Park. I was hoping they woudl eventually move to the transit hub at Santa Fe station but maybe they aren't ever going to do that if they create their own terminal. Does anyone know if MetroTransit plans on adding the new bus station to a route?

Because the old Union Train Station is going to become part of the new Central Park. I was hoping they woudl eventually move to the transit hub at Santa Fe station but maybe they aren't ever going to do that if they create their own terminal. Does anyone know if MetroTransit plans on adding the new bus station to a route?

I think a rendering shown to council a couple months back had the (or at least a) Metro transit hub near the hubs parking structure

I am retired and I bought a month long pass in October to save money and to try out the Metro Transit system. I enjoyed not having to drive everywhere, but obviously it takes over twice as long to get from home to any point in the city. I usually took my Oklahoman newspaper with me and often I took my tablet. Eventually, I got bored after I finished the newspaper & there were no wi-fi connections on the bus or the downtown bus station.

I will look forward to when wi-fi is available both on the bus and at the downtown bus station. Also a bus rapid transit (BRT) route is being talked about for the Northwest Expressway. During October I went to Gattitown Pizza and had to cross both the Northwest Expressway & MacArthur in order to get there and get home. It was dangerous.

When I was a boy, I would sometimes take the bus from around N.W. 21st & Robinson to the downtown YMCA where I had a youth membership. The bus route went North & South on Robinson & did not have many riders. Our bus system now does have a lot of riders & does cover much of the city. But there is a huge need for expanded routes & expanded service on Saturday & Sunday.

Once wi-fi is available on the buses and the downtown bus station, I will likely try a month pass again. At least I won't get so bored & I will save a lot of gasoline for both myself & our society.

I think a rendering shown to council a couple months back had the (or at least a) Metro transit hub near the hubs parking structure

Let me re[hrase my question. Is Metro Transit planning on adding a stop at the new Greyhound bus station? It seems connecting local mass transit to interstate mass transit would be a no-brainer.

Let me re[hrase my question. Is Metro Transit planning on adding a stop at the new Greyhound bus station? It seems connecting local mass transit to interstate mass transit would be a no-brainer.

The hope of the city was they go to the hub and I hope it eventually happens but the interstate transit companies have to be want to go there. When this came up the first time were planing to move i40 & MLK they stated something like: most of their passengers get picked up by car so downtown was less of an advantage to them as easy interstate access.

When this came up the first time were planing to move i40 & MLK they stated something like: most of their passengers get picked up by car so downtown was less of an advantage to them as easy interstate access.

No kidding. What other choice is there? If intergalactic transport ships landed in OKC most passengers would still have to be picked up by car.

...
Love transit in Oklahoma. =)

Sounds like you should of loved Budget/AVIS (or one of the others) instead of the hound. In the last year I've rented more car days than I had in several preceding years due to multiple family events that arose and several work trips outside the metro area. I've become a fan as a result.

No kidding. What other choice is there? If intergalactic transport ships landed in OKC most passengers would still have to be picked up by car.

This is why we need Star Trek's site to site transporters:LolLolLol

Deleted by author.

I think the GPS tracking is just part of running a modern transit system. Once you have the data, making it available to service providers like Google is a little step.

The on-bus wifi seems a bit silly, though.
No, on-bus wi-fi is an essential amenity for us riders. It's boring taking the bus versus driving and it takes about twice as long to get anywhere. Many of the riders, like myself, have smartphones and connect only with wi-fi since data plans are too expensive. A few of us (including myself) own tablets that are wi-fi only. Wi-fi access for both smartphones & tablets will help ameliorate the boredom. If the system is done properly, we will also be able to track our connecting buses to see if they're on schedule & know how long we'll have to wait on making a connection.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 12, 2012

METRO Transit Sees Increase in Ridership
With Rising Gas Prices, Ridership Expected to Climb

OKLAHOMA CITY – During the first months of 2012, the Central Oklahoma Transportation and Parking Authority has seen an increase in METRO Transit riders. And with gas prices expected to continue to rise, COTPA officials expect ridership to follow the same trend.

A recent report showed that METRO Transit transported 66,355 (11 percent) more riders the first three months of 2012 over the same period last year. Saturday service, alone, has increased more than 20 percent within the past six months.

“A mild winter likely played a role in rider demand,” said Rick Cain, administrator of COTPA and director of public transportation and parking for the City of Oklahoma City. “And as gas prices continue to increase, we expect to see a greater demand for public transportation.”

The U.S. Energy Information Administration expects regular-grade motor gasoline retail prices to average $3.79 per gallon in 2012, compared with $3.53 per gallon in 2011. The organization also reports in the Short-Term Energy Outlook that during the April through September summer driving season, prices are forecast to average about $3.92 per gallon with a peak monthly average price of $3.96 per gallon in May.

“We’ve seen instances like this before; when gas prices go up there is a direct correlation to our ridership numbers,” said Cain. “In 2008 when gas prices reached record highs, our ridership spiked. What’s interesting is after gas prices fell, our ridership rates remained higher than the previous year, suggesting that once people try the bus and start a routine, they like it and stick with it.”

In April 2008, average gas prices in Oklahoma City were $3.35 and METRO Transit reported a monthly ridership of 202,021. One year later, the average gas prices in Oklahoma City had fallen to $1.87 but ridership had increased to 208,707.

With unlimited day passes at $4, unlimited week passes at $14 and unlimited monthly passes at $50, Cain says riding the bus is often more economical for most people than fueling up and maintaining a car. Senior passes are also available at half the regular rates.

In addition to increased bus ridership, downtown trolley ridership has also increased by 17 percent in the first two months of 2012 compared to 2011.

To learn more about METRO Transit and view bus schedules and routes, visit gometro.org (http://www.gometro.org) or call (405) 235-RIDE (7433) for personal assistance from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. To learn more about carpooling or to be matched with someone in your area, visit www.getaroundok.com (http://www.getaroundok.com).

More encouraging news for Metro Transit.

http://newsok.com/metro-transit-is-seeing-growth/multimedia/video/1668082877001

Couple of Metro Transit questions: Is Metro going to have Sunday service? I also heard that they are looking at a private company to run it. Can anyone confirm or deny this?

According to the newsok clip linked in the post before yours, Sunday service is being considered. The sound quality is atrocious though so don't have anything else happening near you when you watch the video.

The latest on Sunday bus service.

http://newsok.com/oklahoma-city-council-passes-952-million-budget-with-eye-on-future-sunday-bus-service/article/3683921


“Probably the only issue in this budget that's been publicly discussed, debated, pleaded for, is Sunday bus service,” Ward 2 Councilman Ed Shadid said. “Are you aware of any city in America of our size and our budget — $900 million — that has no public transportation on Sundays? Any city with an NBA team?”

Ultimately, city staff and the council agreed to conduct an in-depth study about investment in Sunday bus service and other transit issues soon. But not soon enough for Shadid, who registered the sole dissenting vote in passing the 8-1 budget because it didn't include discretionary spending on Sunday service now.

Another update on Sunday bus service.

http://newsok.com/oklahoma-city-council-studies-sunday-transit-options/article/3690301?custom_click=pod_headline_politics

Also mentioned is:

The council has also expressed a strong desire to study the efficiency of the Metro Transit system in general. City officials acknowledge they would likely come up with a different way to deploy their transit resources if they had a chance to start from scratch, but that effective and efficient public transportation will likely always be an issue in such a sprawling city.

City staff have prepared a request for proposals for consultants to bid on a review of the city's public transportation system with an eye on identifying the most efficient use of transit resources the city already has.

While I support Sunday service, the overall cost and cost per passenger seems extremely high. The study needs to be comprehesive, which could take at least a year. I hope all options are on the table, including privatization and the regional system.

been there, done that, so where's the ding dang t-shirt?
:Smiley112

MAPS 4 maybe? How many modern CNG powered buses do we need (in addition to the CNG buses already in service) to get our system up to an acceptable standard of service, and be 100% alternative fuel?

Culver Citybus Takes Delivery of the First Natural Gas Xcelsior Transit Buses - Top News - Green Fleet - Top News - Government Fleet (http://www.government-fleet.com/channel/green-fleet/news/story/2012/06/culver-citybus-takes-delivery-of-the-first-natural-gas-xcelsior-transit-buses.aspx?prestitial=1)

Our bus routes and system is a joke

We have a street grid system why not use it to make bus routes. I walk 5 miles to make a 7 mile trip lol.

By putting a grid system in place it would be easier to get to where you need to go. Buses either travel north and south or east and west then you would not need to transfer buses 4 times ad wait in the cold a total of 2 hours to get where you you need to go.

What is the citys justification for the current system like I said its a cruel joke by planners to.watch bus.riders suffer

From a long time ago...I had friends at OU and friends at OCU. We rode the bus from Norman up to OKC on a Friday to hang out, we didn't realize that the next bus back to Norman wasn't until Monday. I believe this is still the case. What a joke!

I would think a grid system which would be easier to use would create more ridership thus bringing in more revenue I could see ridership increasing 25 to 50% if not more by simplifying the routes and having more of the city served. Of course the increase in ridership would be slow to materialize but it would happen

As it stands now you change buses 3 or 4 times on a one way trip and end up waiting an hour or more total for buses to show up I would not mind waiting say 20 min for a bus if I only had to take 2 buses to my destination. They could even stop every half mile where there are businesses and apartments between the atrial intersections. At least then one could do their shopping commutes to work or doctors appointments

And if Okc was to serve only residential areas of Bethany warr acres they could effectively be transporting tax dollars out of Bethany warr acres to Okc thus adding another revenue stream.

City has nearly completed installation of real time tracking and update system in all city buses. This is a very good step forward.

COTPA Director gave extensive brief at today's City Council meeting. They are making a concerted effort to improve the bus shelters and move away from a bench stuck on the side of the road and exposed to the elements. They will improve disabled access, information available, and shelter.

They have proposed a city ordnance that will finally include the transit director in decisions about bus stop location and design (finally - why was he not involved from the beginning? Why was PW Director the sole decision maker?) However the ordnance still gives PW ultimate decision authority. The transit director has to ask PW for permission to install new shelters - and if PW denies the request, the transit director has to appeal to city council. That doesn't make sense - PW should take a look at how a new shelter affects the existing sidewalk, etc - but they should not have veto power over the transit director. Way too much power in one or two people's hands in our present city staff.

It will grandfather the current bus benches unfortunately - hopefully the ordnance will require improvements in the existing bench shelter and safety as a minimum.

Overall it sounds very promising. Let your council rep know the city as a whole supports improving our bus system.

Skip Kelly made a great point about the location of some of the privately owned bus benches. The specific one he mentioned on 36th is in a dangerous location. It doesn't make any sense at that location. If someone were to be injured at that Metro Transit bus stop, the city could be open to significant liability I think. Skip's point about the need to better evaluate the location of the private bus benches should be taken seriously.

Oh, and I am keeping track of how long it takes to fix this "bench".

/buzzkillrant

Is that when you'll add to your blog, again? Are you striking until then?

I am going to get a photo of the stop Skip spoke about and post it here. It is ridiculous that anyone think it is a good idea and is clearly unsafe for use.

Don't get me started. Most of these benches are not serving any purpose for transit. They are simply billboards.

See exhibit A:

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-guk5EeWHsZw/UH7Ue-ISgCI/AAAAAAAEaSw/Dr7Oo7HC-uQ/s692/IMG_20121014_155903.jpg

This is right across the street from our Civic Center. Every time I see this I about blow a gasket. If I were in any leadership position at COTPA, the moment I saw this I would have demanded it be removed and would have wrote a nastygram to Tyler Advertising. I recognize that this area was modified for Project 180 but if Tyler wants to get the privilege of putting up billboards (see bus bench), then they had better police them up -- especially downtown.

As long as that bench sits there in broad daylight, obviously a living relic of our commitment to transit, even in our urban core, we will have a glaring reminder of how spineless our leadership is in solving transit issues.

Oh, and I am keeping track of how long it takes to fix this "bench".

/buzzkillrantHey I was at Walmart last night... they had 8lb sledgehammers, 2 for $10. ;)

Truthfully, I thought about moving it myself somehow. But instead, I'm just going to let it be my barometer. I don't even have to break a sweat that way.Is it just sitting there or actually in the ground?

... It will grandfather the current bus benches unfortunately - hopefully the ordnance will require improvements in the existing bench shelter and safety as a minimum. ...

I would rather not tie ourselves even more to the current route system, it is going to be hard enough to ever change to something more functional, let alone if we were to spend the money on shelters at the current stops.

3073

This is the bus bench Councilman Kelly spoke about on Tuesday.

Haha, it is even tilted so the drivers can read it easier.

What a joke.

It is one thing not to have a sidewalk but could we at least keeping trees from growing in a space that could allow people to walk not in the street. Though if few enough people are walking to it to keep trees from growing maybe it should no longer be a stop.

There are a great many things that bother me in this city. But chief among them is the lack of shelters or even benches. And yes, I too fret about building such infrastructure because I think the routes need to be straightened out and the system completely redesigned.

But if you put these sentiments about the routes aside, if we are going to build bus shelters, we need to think differently about what we are buying and how they are designed. I mean... Oklahoma weather anyone? It would seem to me that we need a shelter design or "kit of parts" designed specifically for our extreme weather.

Perhaps a tornado shelter under each. lol

But seriously... a design that deals with straight line winds, the common north wind, heat mitigation. The list goes on and on. Quite frankly, I think landscaping and trees, while they require maintenance, should be used as a environmental calming device as part of the shelter package.

If we have express buses on NW Expressway, I think we should go as far a sto design those shelters to be higher capacity and even air conditioned. Not unlike the old ATM mini buildings you used to have to walk into. Or Bogota Spain tube type bus structures. Either way, I think NW Expressway epotomizes a harsh Oklahoma environment in the worst ways.

Haha, it is even tilted so the drivers can read it easier.

What a joke.

In other cities I've lived in, bus stops were small constructs that included at least a shelter from rain, and often a shelter from wind. It wan't abnormal to include advertising on the walls, but always included some information on what line(s) that bus stop served and when you could expect the next bus. This shelter (in particular) is abhorrent and does nothing except allow Tyler Advertising to put up an ad. I always thought the ads (at other city's bus shelters) were for the bus passengers waiting there, but Tyler seems to think it's all about advertising to the cars. THAT's what's wrong with this picture: It allows (or demonstrates that) the (contracted, I assume?) advertising company to define the "shelter".

Probably unreasonable for OKC in terms of cost per use. But I am a huge advocate of doing things right the first time.

Think if we had modern bus shelters with solar panels that illuminated the shelter. Also per OK climate, fully to mostly enclosed shelters would be most efficient in persuading people to use the bus if they have a shelter that keeps them out of the insane wind here.

An example of a solar powered shelter (granted this one is hideous):

http://volvobusesenvironmentblog.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/bus_stop.jpg

My first reaction to a previous comment about business owners not wanting a bus stop in front of their place of business was an incredulous reaction to what I envisioned a bus stop to be. Even though a bus stop in front of your place of business feasibly could bring more customers in your door, I can see, now, why a business owner might object to one of these benches sitting out front.

The ill conceived and much maligned rubber tire trolleys are gone!

Downtown Discovery | METRO Transit Providing Central Oklahoma Transportation & Bus Service Options (http://www.gometro.org/trolley)

http://www.gometro.org/Websites/gometro/images/General%20Documents/Discovery_Brochure_web.pdf

The ill conceived and much maligned rubber tire trolleys are gone!

Downtown Discovery | METRO Transit Providing Central Oklahoma Transportation & Bus Service Options (http://www.gometro.org/trolley)

http://www.gometro.org/Websites/gometro/images/General%20Documents/Discovery_Brochure_web.pdf

Did they replace the trolley with a normal bus? It is the same route.

Has there been any sort of study on what a system the city could provide with the existing bus fleet where the average service time was no more than fifteen minutes during at least the higher traffic parts of the day?

I will miss the wheeled trolly cars. Didn't find them ugly or uncomfortable the times I have ridden.

Modern busses are replacing the goofy (my opinion of course) trolleys. I characterize them as a failure mainly because they were the "replacement" for a proposed streetcar system.

Has there been any sort of study on what a system the city could provide with the existing bus fleet where the average service time was no more than fifteen minutes during at least the higher traffic parts of the day?

I am sure there may be one, but I haven't seen it. Check the gometro.org site or maybe ACOG.

Does anyone know how many buses and at what capacity each are, in the OKC METRO fleet?

Okay, I'm working on a little project of my own. Just curious if we know what type, seating capacity, and number of buses we have.

A 2013 System Profile document is posted at About Us | METRO Transit Providing Central Oklahoma Transportation & Bus Service Options (http://www.gometro.org/about-us/) in the right column.

Thanks!

Tim Payne and Thomas Wittmann present their preliminary study findings to City council around 54:00:00 mark

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxZ1-Mm3jRM

Tim Payne and Thomas Wittmann present their preliminary study findings to City council around 54:00:00 mark

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxZ1-Mm3jRM

Can someone please give me a summary of this? No way I am watching 1.5 hours.

Thanks for posting. I was able to watch it with one eye so I am going to have to watch it again when I get time to focus as there are lot of comments to make.

1) It is about 80% of what I proposed
2) The basic buiding block of urbansim is the neighborhood so establishing local hubs outside the core is a good place to start
3) These hubs (as well as the routes themselves) should use the exsiting transportation cooridors which, as was pointed out, would increase service frequency within the cooridor.
4) I though their box for a transit zone was too small and the argument for keep service outside the transit zone was a little weak. Of course people outside the transit zone use the bus service, but even a broken clock is right 2X a day, that doesn't mean if I buy a new clock it should only be required to be right 2X a day. But anyhow, maybe there is room here for compromise.
5) Dr Shadid's example of new public services (Social Security office) not being aligned with a transit route underscores the whole problem of TOD and bus routes. Once constructed, the SSA office is a fixed object on the earth - it won't move. The bus routes are colored lines on map which are subject to change.
6) Using their suggested improvementss 3.5% of the current users would essentially lose access but it wold still result in upto a 10% increase in ridership.
7) I am still not a supporter of a grid bus sysem. I think connecting neighborhood centers (local transit hub) via transporation cooridors is the best system.

At some point we have to start building the kind of system we want instead of trying to retro-fit a system in to a city arranged by past failed transportation planning. I guess it comes down to evolution vs. revolution.

I heard Shadid tried to propose spending streetcar money on something else and the guy filling in for Mayor Mick just cut him off with the gavel. Frickin awesome!

You should watch the video. That's not what happened. I love the rumor mill. :)

I only believe said rumor mill because it was written in an Oklahoman article.

I only believe said rumor mill because it was written in an Oklahoman article.

While it was not far off it does not seem entirely accurate either. It seemed like the question was going to be about interaction between the streetcar and the bus system. The guy seemed upset by both he had said the previous question should be the last question and implied the question might have been heading out of the scope of the discussion.

I only believe said rumor mill because it was written in an Oklahoman article.

Here is the article and the quote. It says no such thing.

Consulting firm weighs in on improving Oklahoma City transit system | News OK (http://newsok.com/consulting-firm-weighs-in-on-improving-oklahoma-city-transit-system/article/3786745)


Shadid tried to question the consultants about their proposals in relation to the MAPS 3 plans for a downtown streetcar but council member Pat Ryan — sitting in for Mayor Mick Cornett — said the discussion had gone on for an hour and gaveled the meeting to a close.

Here is the article and the quote. It says no such thing.

Consulting firm weighs in on improving Oklahoma City transit system | News OK (http://newsok.com/consulting-firm-weighs-in-on-improving-oklahoma-city-transit-system/article/3786745)

Listen, Jack, I read it. Don't you tell me what I didn't read. Got it??

Listen, Jack, I read it. Don't you tell me what I didn't read. Got it??

Jack, I just posted the article. I didn't say you didn't read it. I said it did not say what you said and it didn't. You may be putting your own interpretation to the words. If you have evidence that backs up your claim, please provide it. I will apologize.

Jack, I just posted the article. I didn't say you didn't read it. I said it did not say what you said and it didn't. You may be putting your own interpretation to the words. If you have evidence that backs up your claim, please provide it. I will apologize.

lj, perhaps you missed page 2 of the article as it does say that. On page 2 in the last section tilted "about the study".

lj, perhaps you missed page 2 of the article as it does say that. On page 2 in the last section tilted "about the study".

I read both pages. It says nothing about Shadid proposing anything about spending streetcar funds on something else.

lj, pardon me, I misread.

There is an easy way to see what Shadid said, watch the video. The part about the street car and ending the session is at the very end - skip to the end and see. Shadid did make some valid points about planning, but he worries me in that he seems to believe his is the only valid point. Political leadership involves cooperation and compromise as much as it does any kind of insight. He seems to lack these virtures, his intelligence is not in question, his 'smarts'... a little. Though he is correct about a funding source - something that other council members seem to realize. Messing with the street car funds, etc. is political suicide. What he does not seem to get is that the streetcar project, no matter how rough the process, is the beginning of bringing awareness of the potential of mass trans to citizens of OKC. He risk a lot in messing with this - no matter how insightful and well-meaning he may be.