By Ana Bellinghausen, Reporter
Omaha, Neb. — It’s been a full year since the launch of the Omaha Rapid Bus Transit system, or ORBT, and residents still say it’s not enough.
“If you don’t have a car or the ability to drive the car, whether it’s financial ability or physical ability, you’re kind of treated like a second-class citizen,” said Sarah Johnson, founder of Mode Shift Omaha. “That’s just unacceptable in my opinion.”
ORBT runs along Dodge street from 10th street to Westroads, offering rides every ten minutes at its peak hours. Riders can expect to pay around $1.25.
“I think it’s like a little step in the right direction,” Johnson said.
The missing piece to Omaha’s transportation puzzle is money, Johnson said. Omaha has half the amount of funding per capita as its peer cities.
“We’re not a tiny town anymore. We need to grow up and get real with the whole transportation ecosystem,” Johnson said.
Officials from MAPA and Omaha Metro said there is a need for more transportation systems here in Omaha. That change begins with Metro Next, the five-year plan to build a transportation system across 24th street.
“There’s a lot of opportunities to make really good connections on 24th street,” said Jason Rose, Communications & Community Relations Manager at Metro Transit.
Rose says he hears the demand for expansion and Metro Next is one plan to deliver that.
“The hope is that we can sort of increase that funding, grow our service level and provide more options for people,” Rose said.
As Omaha Metro awaits legislation to pass for more funding, residents like Johnson continue to voice concerns.
“It’s frustrating. It’s exhausting,” Johnson said.
While there’s no magic wand to fix the transportation system, Rose said Metro Next can help put Omaha above the curve.
