Metro Transit (Omaha)
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. The agency receives funds from local, state and federal sources. 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.
The service hours of the entire system are generally from about 4:30am-1am on weekdays, 5am-midnight on Saturdays, and 6am-9:30pm on Sundays, with many routes operating a shorter span. The busiest lines run every 15 minutes during weekday rush hours and middays, and every 30 minutes during weekday evenings and weekends. Service on the #4, #13, and #15 operates every 15 minutes during weekday rush hours, every 30 minutes during weekday middays, and every 60 minutes during weekday evenings, with service every 30-60 minutes on weekends. The remaining routes run every 30-60 minutes when they do operate
Route list
Normal routes:Limited rush hour routes :
| № | Name | Route | № of AM peak trips | № of PM peak trips |
| 34 | West I Street | Downtown - Gerald Ford Freeway - MCC South Transit Center - 33rd - L Street - 90th - J Street - 96th - I Street - 120th & I Street | 1 to west | 1 to east |
| 92 | Dodge Express | Downtown - Dodge - First National Bank - Dodge - Village Pointe | 4 | 4 |
| 93 | South 84th Street Express | Downtown - Gerald Ford Freeway - Interstate 80 - 84th - Tara Plaza | 2 | 2 |
| 94 | West Center Express | Downtown - Gerald Ford Freeway - Interstate 80 - Interstate 680 - Center Road - Lakeside Hospital | 2 | 2 |
| 95 | Bellevue Express | Downtown - 13th - Fort Crook - Harvell - Galvin & Harvell for AM to the north and PM to the south Downtown - Gerald Ford Freeway - Kennedy Freeway - Comhusker - Harvell - Galvin & Harvell for AM to the south and PM to the north | 3 | 3 |
| 96 | Q Street Express | Downtown - Gerald Ford Freeway - Interstate 80 - 84th - Q Street - St. Gerald's Park & Ride | 2 | 2 |
| 97 | Millard Express | Downtown - Gerald Ford Freeway - Interstate 80 - I Street - 120th - Q Street - 153rd Street Park & Ride | 4 | 4 |
| 98 | Maple Village Express | Downtown - Dodge - 72nd - Blondo - 117th - 117th & Miami | 2 | 2 |
Former Routes
- 1 Dundee/Underwood Hills
- 7 South 16th/24th
- 9 South 20th/Vet's Loop
- 10 South 6th-10th Streets
- 17 Railroad Ave/Sunshine Loops
- 22 West Dodge Circulator
- 25 Bedford/Pratt Loop
- 31 Florence
- 32 Grover/Vinton
- 40 Hanscom Park
- 41/42/43/44/45 Council Bluffs
- 48 Crosstown South
- 50 Bellevue Circulator Express
- 60 Bellevue Circulator Express
- 77 Bluffs Run
- 80
- 99 Express
- 111
Transit Centers
Aksarben Transit Center
- Routes: 11, 13, 15, 18, 55
- Routes: 5, 14, 18
- Routes: 3, 13, 24, 34
- Routes: 3, 5, 8, 14, 16, 18, 24, 26, 30, 35
- Routes: 2, 4, 5, 14, 92
Park & Ride Lots
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93: South 84th Express
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94: West Center Express
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95: Bellevue Express
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96: Q Street Express
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97: Millard Express
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98: Maple Village Express
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For a map of Metro's Park & Ride lots see :
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 pledge 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.