Metro Area Transit

Metro

Founded	1972
Headquarters	2222 Cuming St.
Locale	Omaha, NE
Service type	bus service, paratransit, park and ride, bus rapid transit (future), streetcar (future)
Routes	34 bus
Fleet	135 buses
Website	http://Ometro.com

Metro Transit, previously known as Metro Area Transit, is the local mass transportation provider in Omaha, Nebraska. Metro currently operates around 135 buses throughout the Omaha-Council Bluffs metropolitan area, including the communities of Bellevue, Ralston, LaVista and Papillion in Nebraska, as well as Council Bluffs, Iowa. Operated by the Omaha Transit Authority, a governmental subdivision of the State of Nebraska, Metro's board consists of a five member board appointed by the mayor and confirmed by the Omaha City Council as well as the Douglas County Commissioners.

The first board was sworn in and took office on May 30, 1972.^[1] The agency receives funds from local, state and federal sources.^[2] The city has equipped its buses with bicycle carriers, catching up with neighboring cities of Des Moines, Iowa, Denver, Colorado and Kansas City, Missouri On August 23, 2010 Metro Area Transit was rebranded as Metro. .^[3]

Route list

• Green Downtown Circulator
• Red Downtown Circulator (seasonal)
• Blue/Yellow Council Bluffs Routes
• 2 Dodge
• 3 North 40th & 45th Streets/South 42nd Street
• 4 Maple
• 5 North 90th/South 96th
• 8 North 60th/West Blondo
• 11 Leavenworth
• 13 Beltway South
• 14 108th/Bedford
• 15 West Center
• 16 East Omaha/North 16th Street
• 18 Beltway North
• 24 Crosstown 24th Street
• 26 North Omaha Circulator
• 30 Florence
• 34 Industrial Parks
• 35 North 33rd Street
• 36 South Omaha Circulator
• 55 Q Street
• 92 Dodge Express
• 93 South 84th Express
• 94 West Center Express
• 95 Bellevue Express
• 96 Q Street Express
• 97 Millard Express
• 98 Maple Village Express

Transit Centers

Transit Centers in Omaha are an important part of Metro's "hub and spoke" system. Since 2006, many transit centers have been built or removed. Those removed were the Crossroads Transit Center in 2006, and the Stockyards Transit Center in South Omaha which was replaced by Metro College Transit Center in 2007. Others added were the new Westroads Transit Center near Westroads Mall, and Benson Park Transit Center in the Benson neighborhood. Two other major meeting places recently upgraded to transit Center status are the Bergan Mercy Transit Center in south central Omaha, and 76th Street Transit Center near Crossroads Mall. Both are not currently equipped with all of the amenities typically expected with a transit center, but are planned for upgrade. As of December 2012, Omaha's most used transit center, North Omaha Transit Center, has been rebuilt. Finally, Downtown Omaha's planned 16th street renovation will see the 16th Street Transit Mall Removed. Currently being phased out as construction nears, a new Downtown Transit Center is planned for the area. A list of the currently active transit centers follows:

Bergan Mercy Transit Center (75th Street & Dorcas Street, near Bergan Mercy Hospital)

• Routes: 11, 13, 15, 18, 55

Benson Park Transit Center (72nd Street & Military Road, behind Baker's Grocery)

• Routes: 5, 14, 18

Metro College Transit Center (27th & Q Street, near Q Street and Highway 75 and at Metropolitan Community College South Campus)

• Routes: 3, 13, 24, 34

North Omaha Transit Center (30th Street & Boyd Street, near 30th Street and Ames Avenue)

• Routes: 3, 5, 8, 14, 16, 18, 24, 26, 30, 35

Westroads Transit Center (102nd Street & Nicholas Street, near West Dodge Road and Interstate 680 and Westroads Mall)

• Routes: 2, 4, 5, 14, 92

Park & Ride Lots

92 West Dodge Express

• First National Bank - Please park in the surface lot near the Metro sign. 14010 FNB Parkway, Omaha NE 68154
• Village Point - Please park in the lot west of the Village Pointe Cinema near the Metro sign. 17404 Burke St, Omaha NE 68118

93 Tri-Communities Express

• Tara Plaza Park and Ride Lot: (Hogan Dr & Tara Rd - Papillion)

94 West Center Express

• Oak View Mall - Please park in the lot west of Dillards near the Metro sign. 3030 Oak View Drive, Omaha NE 68144
• Lakeside Hospital - Please park in the lot east of the hospital near the Metro sign. 16901 Lakeside Hills Court, Omaha NE 68130

95 Bellevue Express

• No Frills (Childs Road & Hwy 75, north east section of parking lot)

96 Q Street Express

• St. Gerald's West (96th & Q)

97 Millard Express

• Boulder Creek - Please park in the row nearest to S Street near the Metro sign. 14132 S Street, Omaha NE 68137
• Bag 'N Save - Please park at the south end of the lot near the Metro sign. 15370 Weir St, Omaha NE 68137

98 Maple Village Express

• Bag 'N Save - 2650 N 90th St (90th and Maple Streets)

For a map of Metro's Park & Ride lots see : http://goo.gl/maps/DuHX0

Proposed Changes Spring 2015

In response to customer surveys conducted in October 2012, Metro has re-evaluated all routes in the Omaha area.^[4]

The top three requests were:

1. More service on weekends
2. Later service on week nights
3. More frequent service on week days

Many routes will see extended night service until midnight or later, and all weekend routes will run at least once an hour.

However, some routes have been modified or discontinued in order to re-distribute resources where we can serve the most customers.

The following routes are proposed for elimination:

• Route 7
• Route 9
• Route 22
• Route 25
• Route 32

The following transit centers are proposed for elimination, in lieu of on-street transfers:

• Midtown Transit Center
• 76th Street ("Crossroads") Transit Center

Most of the other routes, including the other express routes, are proposed for service improvements. Some routes have been realigned, and the route frequency has improved. These changes are still subject to board approval. Support or opposition to these amendments should be made in writing to Metro Transit Omaha by December 31, 2014. The implementation date is TBD, but likely early April 2015.

Rebranding

In an effort to shed the stigma associated with the Metro Area Transit name, the new Metro brand was adopted on August 23, 2010. Along with their new light blue outlined "M" logo, the message of an organization that is modern and looking to the future was conveyed. In just a short time after the rebranding, Metro worked hard to keep good on their pldege to provide better service, and a large amount of improvements were made.

• Just prior to the rebranding, 9 new 2009 Gillig low-floor buses arrived in Omaha. Although not publicized, these buses were the first new buses in Omaha since 2000.
• The first major change with the rebranding was the acquisition of 24 new 2010 Gillig low-floor buses. These buses traveled Omaha for at least six months with no advertisements or brand due to conditions unsuitable for affixing graphics. By the end of March, 2011, all of Metro's fleet sported the Metro logo.
• In May 2011, every one of Metro's bus stops were replaced with new signs that reflected the rebrand. With these stops, a feature new to Omaha was added. At all transfer points, a special stop designated "transfer" was added, along with the route numbers that serve the transfer stop. Prior to adding the new Metro stops, several styles of bus stop sign dotted the metro, with some dating back to the 1970s.
• One month later in June 2011, Metro launched 9 new New Flyer Low Floor Restyled buses. These were Omaha's first new non-Gillig brand transit buses since 1994.
• Later in December 2011, Metro joined Google Transit. This was an upgrade from Metro's own trip planner which has been described as cumbersome.
• Early in 2012, Metro upgraded Benson Park Transit Center and Westroads Transit Center. Signs with QR codes were added for people with smart phones to access more information. As well concrete improvements were made.

See also

• Transportation in Omaha

References

1. "History", Metro. Retrieved 6/29/08.
2. "Metropolitan Area Transit", U.S. Office of Financial Management and Budget. Retrieved 6/29/08.
3. Shaw, T. "Omaha's making room for bicycles on buses",Omaha World-Herald. April 21, 2008. Retrieved 6/29/08.
4. http://www.ometro.com/announcements/proposed-transit-improvements