Well, the new state of the art bus transfer station opened today. For years now, ever since the old bus terminal was torn down at the Ford Center site, people waiting for their transfer route have waited in a parking lot outside of the Oklahoma County Jail. This new transfer station has covered loading areas, and an indoor air conditioned building for those waiting for their connection to wait in comfort. For months now, I've watched the building of this facility and have been amazed with it's appearance. It's great to see an improvement made to ouyr bus service! Now if we could only created substations in the city, we'd have it made! If you live near Penn Squre Mall and want to get to Qauil Springs you have to go downtown first. I've always thought that was stupid! We need substations in each quadrant of the city.

Here's a pic:



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Downtown bus passengers now wait in comfort


By Steve Lackmeyer
The Oklahoman

Passengers accustomed to waiting for their bus in the heat instead enjoyed the air conditioned comfort Monday of MetroTransit's new downtown transit center.
The new $6.2 million terminal opened just in time for Doran Gothard, who has had his own bouts with heat stroke and never liked waiting for a bus in the parking lot that had served as a temporary transfer point since 1999.

"The heat was terrible," Gothard said. "This is a billion percent better. You don't have winos bothering you."

Another passenger, Jim Duncan, said he, too, noticed that "trouble-makers" were staying away from the new center, which is staffed with a full-time security officer and an information clerk. The new building at Robert S. Kerr Avenue and NW 4 also features security cameras.

The center is within 2½ blocks of 4 million square feet of downtown office space, and is within walking distance of federal, county and city offices.

There's a fully staffed lobby with rest rooms and vending machines. Other improvements include maps, brochures and an express lane for downtown trolleys.

MetroTransit spokeswoman Amy Ford said Monday's opening had no major glitches.

For Gothard and fellow passenger Victoria Love, the anticipation sometimes bordered on disbelief the new center would ever open. The last permanent transfer site at Reno Avenue and E.K Gaylord, was demolished in 1999 to make way for the Ford Center.

The transfer center then went through years of delays.

"Sometimes, you really had to wonder," said Gothard, a passenger since 1995.