For the past year, a fleet of charcoal-colored buses have zipped along much of Classen Boulevard and Northwest Expressway as part of Oklahoma City’s first bus rapid transit line. Using some bus-only lanes and traffic signal prioritization, the new bus line is meant to somewhat mimic a subway or streetcar.
Fares are paid before boarding, each bus uses a dedicated entry and exit door that is level with bus stop platforms, and frequencies are sometimes as low as every 12 minutes, making a missed bus a small annoyance with just a short wait for the next one.
Called Rapid, the new bus line has been the city’s most significant transit investment in decades. In its first year, the average daily ridership of around 1,200 is nearly twice that of the downtown streetcar system, now in its sixth year of operation.
But city officials hope the northwest Rapid line is just the first step in a new era of bus and rail investments that could start to alter the region’s longtime status as a public transit wasteland.
“For so many decades, we prioritized the widest streets to move cars as quickly as possible,” said Ward 2 Councilmember James Cooper, speaking at a recent meeting of transit officials. “I think that can change.”
In many ways, the city’s transit department is still working to catch up with many other peer cities. Evening and weekend service was only added in the past decade, and there is no current transit service to the airport, making Oklahoma City one of the largest in the nation with that distinction.
Oklahoma City’s transit ridership is below many cities of similar or smaller size, including Akron, Ohio, and Syracuse, New York.
But plans are underway to build two additional bus rapid transit lines serving the city’s south and northeast neighborhoods. Voters in central Oklahoma are also expected to soon be presented with a proposed regional commuter rail system that would link Edmond and Norman with downtown Oklahoma City.
“If you’re not already tired of traffic, you are going to be, and when you are, it is already too late,” Mayor David Holt said during his most recent State of the City address, where he discussed the need for a regional transit system that includes commuter rail.
More lines
The city’s most recent MAPS 4 funding package included an expansion of the Rapid bus system into northeast and south Oklahoma City. This summer, the city’s Central Oklahoma Transportation and Parking Authority reviewed a consultant’s recommended route for the two new lines.
The two routes appear to be treated like one
single line centered at the Santa Fe train station downtown. Like the current Northwest Rapid line, the new routes would use some bus-only lanes, which could include one bus-only lane down the center of Shields Boulevard from downtown to Capitol Hill, according to the proposal.
The new routes would also service the city’s future arena, which is being built just north of Paycom Center. The current northwest Rapid line doesn’t connect to the arena, but this year, the city extended it to Paycom Center during Thunder games.
Even in a largely car-dependent region like Oklahoma City, a sizable part of the population relies on public transit. Recent surveys have shown that more than half of local transit riders lack regular access to a car, and as many as 85 percent of riders have an annual income of $30,000 or less.
However, the city’s transit officials are also hoping new investments will attract more “choice riders,” those who have a car but find public transit to be more convenient.
“We are getting a lot of new riders trying the system for the first time,” said Jesse Rush, the city’s transit director, speaking about ridership at the opening of the new Rapid line. “That’s exactly what we are hoping for.”
Rapid buses commonly have security officers onboard, along with more comfortable seats and Wi-Fi access.
“This could be a life-changing amenity for the residents along this line, especially those who haven’t been users of our public transit system in the past,” Holt said about the new Rapid line.
Commuter vote
In addition to two more Rapid bus lines, city officials hope to see a new commuter rail system.
A Regional Transit Authority made up of area communities has been studying a commuter rail line connecting Edmond and Norman with downtown Oklahoma City. A vote for a special tax to fund the system could come as early as next year, the RTA said.
While far from a reality, the prospect of a commuter rail system is already on the minds of some developers.
This year, leaders with the Guernsey engineering and architectural firm said part of the reasoning behind a new headquarters and development downtown was the prospect of a commuter rail line for its employees.
“If we get regional commuter rail, that’s going to allow employees to take it from the platform to Edmond and Norman,” Jared Stigge, CEO of Guernsey, told The Oklahoman about its future headquarters at NW 13th Street and Broadway Avenue. “It’s going to be up to the voters … but I think it could be a big thing for the metro, so we’ll see what happens.”
The city is also including potential commuter rail station access in its new arena plans.
Coming much sooner is a $11 million investment in 140 new bus stops — more than 40 have already been built — that were approved in MAPS 4. Many of the new stops will include new shelters, trash cans, bike racks and lighting.
Back along Classen, where the current Rapid line is, the city is also hoping to spur more transit-oriented development with a recently awarded nearly $1 million federal grant. The money will be spent on a plan to better link pedestrian and cycling infrastructure with transit lines, along with encouraging new affordable housing near bus stops.
“Rapid (Northwest) is providing residents a new, convenient, public transit option along our 9.5-mile route,” said Rush, the city’s transit director. “This grant will help increase development opportunities along Classen Boulevard and make access to Rapid easier for pedestrians and cyclists.”
This article appears in New Year’s Eve Guide.