Will Rogers World Airport

[josefromtulsa]

Apparently if you are too poor to require using public transit you aren't allowed to fly

OKC is the largest metro in the country without public transportation to its airport. The next largest metro is the Norfolk-Virginia Beach metro.

We should have one 40 foot bus running at least every 30 during peak flight time.

[BoulderSooner]

The proposed costs for that will be at least a billion. It wont happen. They should just do shuttle busses that drop off at 2-5 spots in the downtown core and that would be the best use of funds.

Even this road expansion is unnecessary.

Does anyone really think our airport needs all that? WRO will always be stunted by DFW. And DFW is adding a new terminal in the next few years.

reading is hard for you i see ..

this entire plan is fully dependent on future passenger numbers ..

[Laramie]

Airport Express always has vans lined up in the queue.

IIRC, so does New Yellow Cab.

[Mississippi Blues]

reading is hard for you i see ..

this entire plan is fully dependent on future passenger numbers ..

He was responding about the cost of light rail and the rework of the roads, not the entire plan. But since reading is hard and all.

[Plutonic Panda]

They either need to make this thing completely grade separated, and change the alignment a little bit so it goes. There’s some of the other parts of the city.. if they’re just going to extend the street car which I have a hunch, that’s what they plan on doing, just make the damn thing bus, rapid transit. And I’m not talking about that joke of system they have running down on classen andNorthwest Expressway.

[Pete]

OKC is the largest metro in the country without public transportation to its airport. The next largest metro is the Norfolk-Virginia Beach metro.

We should have one 40 foot bus running at least every 30 during peak flight time.

They cut the bus route due to very minimal use. Not saying it was right, but there was tons of data showing the loss to the City involved, let alone the diversion of resources (people, busses) from other areas that needed service much more.

The only possible argument is that employees need the service to get to and from work in and around the airport. But they seem be able to staff fine, so the workers have all figured it out for themselves.

For everyone else, like travelers, taxis and Ubers are relatively inexpensive.

[scottk]

They cut the bus route due to very minimal use. Not saying it was right, but there was tons of data showing the loss to the City involved, let alone the diversion of resources (people, busses) from other areas that needed service much more.

The only possible argument is that employees need the service to get to and from work in and around the airport. But they seem be able to staff fine, so the workers have all figured it out for themselves.

For everyone else, like travelers, taxis and Ubers are relatively inexpensive.

The layout of the city in relation to the airport doesn't seem to make a lot of sense for a bus route since OKC is so spread out, and the airport by design is by itself in SWOKC. As Pete mentioned, I can see why demand was low.

I would assume for business traffic the hotels on Meridian and even downtown hotels offer a free shuttle to the airport?

I could see the benefit of the city establishing an express route with an Embark bus for seasonal events like WCWS, or events that would draw in visitors by air like a multi-day convention downtown.

Uber/Lyft have really taken over individual travel to and from places. I rarely see the blue Airport Express vans around the city compared to just a few years ago.

[unfundedrick]

I would assume for business traffic the hotels on Meridian and even downtown hotels offer a free shuttle to the airport?

I don't believe any downtown hotels offer a free shuttle to the airport.

[josefromtulsa]

They cut the bus route due to very minimal use. Not saying it was right, but there was tons of data showing the loss to the City involved, let alone the diversion of resources (people, busses) from other areas that needed service much more.

The only possible argument is that employees need the service to get to and from work in and around the airport. But they seem be able to staff fine, so the workers have all figured it out for themselves.

For everyone else, like travelers, taxis and Ubers are relatively inexpensive.

The airport roads are super wide and never have the traffic to support their size. The city (or maybe the Airport authority) has to maintain these roads and thus divert funds from other parts of the city to keep those roads nice and smooth for visitors. The point I'm getting at is that public transportation, like the roads, should not be expected to make money or ever be at capacity. They should be there as an transportation option ready to be chosen just like traveling by car is.

I think buying one or two smaller busses and having a driver or two contracted through the same company that does the car rental shuttle would be ideal instead of Embark.

(I know youre not the one in charge of the airport or the decisions, just sharing more of my view)

[josefromtulsa]

reading is hard for you i see ..

this entire plan is fully dependent on future passenger numbers ..

Sorry I went to an Oklahoma public school ;P

[Mesta Parker]

In my business travels, I have been to many cities that have buses traveling from the airport to various hotels. Unless you are lucky enough for your hotel to be the first stop, the bus transit time to the hotel is much longer than via taxi or Uber. If you arrive late at night and are tired, that extra time is a killer. I’ll take a taxi or Uber every time.

[Rover]

The airport roads are super wide and never have the traffic to support their size. The city (or maybe the Airport authority) has to maintain these roads and thus divert funds from other parts of the city to keep those roads nice and smooth for visitors. The point I'm getting at is that public transportation, like the roads, should not be expected to make money or ever be at capacity. They should be there as an transportation option ready to be chosen just like traveling by car is.

I think buying one or two smaller busses and having a driver or two contracted through the same company that does the car rental shuttle would be ideal instead of Embark.

(I know youre not the one in charge of the airport or the decisions, just sharing more of my view)

So, what would be the destination (s) of the airport buses? Who gets favored?

[dankrutka]

So, what would be the destination (s) of the airport buses? Who gets favored?

The answer is obvious: CBD/Bricktown, maybe at the Santa Fe Depot (Amtrak stop). I'm not saying whether there should be buses from the airport. It's surprising to me that running one bus every 30 minutes or hour wouldn't be successful, but maybe that's the case. But obviously you run it to the densest and most walkable area where, by far, the most travelers and residents stay.

[BoulderSooner]

The answer is obvious: CBD/Bricktown, maybe at the Santa Fe Depot (Amtrak stop). I'm not saying whether there should be buses from the airport. It's surprising to me that running one bus every 30 minutes or hour wouldn't be successful, but maybe that's the case. But obviously you run it to the densest and most walkable area where, by far, the most travelers and residents stay.

the huge majority of those coming to visit OKC (and not have people they are coming to visit) get rental cars ..

[Pete]

Keep in mind many hotels all over town run shuttle busses.

[unfundedrick]

Keep in mind many hotels all over town run shuttle busses.

I'm not saying you're wrong but I'm curious what hotels outside of the airport and I40 - Meridian area do that. I tried to do a casual search and couldn't find any.

[Rover]

Quite a few at the I40 and Meridian area too. Also medical area up on Memorial. They pay taxes too. Also, shopping area, Lincoln with all the govt visitors. Tinker area? Everyone would make their case. It would be interesting to see the current dispersal pattern on arriving passengers. Then, we are assuming they just want to stay in that area and won’t rent cars anyway.

[josefromtulsa]

the huge majority of those coming to visit OKC (and not have people they are coming to visit) get rental cars ..

Something about Chicken and eggs…

I understand many of y’all are business travelers but maybe we should consider people who have less money to spend. As a 20-something I always take transit from airports when it’s available (mostly so I can see more of the people and place I’m visiting). If we force every visitor to have rent a car to get around well then of course most are going to get a rental.

[Rover]

Something about Chicken and eggs…

I understand many of y’all are business travelers but maybe we should consider people who have less money to spend. As a 20-something I always take transit from airports when it’s available (mostly so I can see more of the people and place I’m visiting). If we force every visitor to have rent a car to get around well then of course most are going to get a rental.

Uber is affordable. You don't have to rent a car if you are just going one place.

A quick search shows at least 17 hotels with shuttle service to and from the airport. Most are around I-40 and Meridian, but I am pretty sure the Omni downtown does too.

[VeggieMeat]

Uber is affordable. You don't have to rent a car if you are just going one place.

A quick search shows at least 17 hotels with shuttle service to and from the airport. Most are around I-40 and Meridian, but I am pretty sure the Omni downtown does too.

"Affordable" is a relative term, and no downtown or Bricktown hotels have complementary airport shuttles from what I can tell clicking through all of them on Google. (Some show in the results as potentially having one because it catches the "shuttle" keyword, but going to their website shows none or specifically says no complementary shuttle.)

[scottk]

So, for the major conventions downtown that take place over multiple days at the convention center, and let's say it's a nationwide conference that pulls people in primarily by flying in to OKC; the current "best" method to get people to and from the airport to downtown OKC is relying on Uber/Lyft?

Do they run any special shuttle busses during WCWS and similar events from the airport to the stadium or a hotel corridor?

[HOT ROD]

the posts on here reflect the true sentement of transit in OKC. As mentioned, OKC is the biggest city in the nation without transit access to its airport. Shame.

Why can't OKC have an hourly express transit bus from downtown to the airport (along I-40/I-44/I-240, not stopping at every hotel and attraction along the way), in addition to uber/lyft, the hotel shuttles, and shuttle express? This is a no-brainer, and far more warranted than a light rail at this point (not saying I dont want light rail, but lets start with EXPRESS bus first). We could ALSO run a local bus, deep into the night, not on the interstates that stops along the way for the working people to use.

Again, I have no idea why this isn't being done. If OKC is serious about transit then this is an easy, HUGE step that needs to be made. Today!

[unfundedrick]

Uber is affordable. You don't have to rent a car if you are just going one place.

A quick search shows at least 17 hotels with shuttle service to and from the airport. Most are around I-40 and Meridian, but I am pretty sure the Omni downtown does too.

No, the Omni does not have an airport shuttle. It appears that no downtown or Bricktown hotel offers that.

[Plutonic Panda]

I’m more perplexed that OKC is even planning a route for a light rail line to the airport when we don’t even have bus service. Something like FlyAway would be pretty cool. I’ve used that a few times here in LA. But when the K line airport station opens with the APM I’ll probably start using that.

[progressiveboy]

the posts on here reflect the true sentement of transit in OKC. As mentioned, OKC is the biggest city in the nation without transit access to its airport. Shame.

Why can't OKC have an hourly express transit bus from downtown to the airport (along I-40/I-44/I-240, not stopping at every hotel and attraction along the way), in addition to uber/lyft, the hotel shuttles, and shuttle express? This is a no-brainer, and far more warranted than a light rail at this point (not saying I dont want light rail, but lets start with EXPRESS bus first). We could ALSO run a local bus, deep into the night, not on the interstates that stops along the way for the working people to use.

Again, I have no idea why this isn't being done. If OKC is serious about transit then this is an easy, HUGE step that needs to be made. Today!

The numbers at Will Rogers have shown increasing and positive results, time will tell if it is feasible for transit to start up at the airport. I do understand from a convenience stand, Uber and Lyft seem to be the most feasible. I do agree that if OKC is serious about providing service to the airport they should look at ways to make it happen and the cost and feasibility!