METRO (Formerly Metro Area Transit - MAT)

[DTO Luv]

Going down St. Mary's and 24th today I saw  4 people waiting at a bus shelter surrounded by huge piles of snow that had to be scaled before even entering the shelter. Are the people at MAT really that dumb? Oh wait they are. There is no reason that MAT or the city shouldn't make the access to bus shelters a priority like they do for roads.

It's not just in the snow but many bus shelters around town I see regularly have broken out windows, no benches, no trash cans, no nothing. They're basically a few pieces of rusted metal plopped down every few blocks and left to the elements. The buses are some peoples only mode of transportation and the shelters should be given the same kind of maintenance and upkeep that roads do. When it snows the streets get plowed but not the bus shelters. If the road needs repairs it's fixed but not the bus shelters.

We can all agree that MAT sucks a big one and then some but this just seems to basic and pretty telling that the people at MAT have no idea what they're doing.

[justnick]

This is super beyond fail-o-rama. But then the city can't even plow their own sidewalks, how are the supposed to get to bus stops? 30th street is pretty much still a disaster, a week after the snow.

[Brad]

This is super beyond fail-o-rama. But then the city can't even plow their own sidewalks, how are the supposed to get to bus stops? 30th street is pretty much still a disaster, a week after the snow.

The city is NOT responsible for shoveling sidewalks, that's the land owners job.  The land owners are also responsible for clearing around their own mailboxes and fire hydrants.  I would GUESS if the Bus shelter is built on a sidewalk, that the landowners responsibility too.  The city only clears streets and their own property.  I think you can get a fine if you don't clear the sidewalk on your property.

[Brad]

By the way, here is the ordinance saying its not the city's job to clear sidewalks:

http://www.cityofomaha.org/pw/images/st ... icleVI.pdf

[justnick]

This is super beyond fail-o-rama. But then the city can't even plow their own sidewalks, how are the supposed to get to bus stops? 30th street is pretty much still a disaster, a week after the snow.

The city is NOT responsible for shoveling sidewalks, that's the land owners job.  The land owners are also responsible for clearing around their own mailboxes and fire hydrants.  I would GUESS if the Bus shelter is built on a sidewalk, that the landowners responsibility too.  The city only clears streets and their own property.  I think you can get a fine if you don't clear the sidewalk on your property.

I'm talking about city land that doesn't get shoveled. Ever. How can they talk about shoveling people's sidewalks for them and then fining them if they can't even get to their own land? For example, there are three huge plots of city land and parks on forest lawn that I walk by every day that do not get shoveled until one of the homeowners nearby gets fed up with it and does it themselves.

[Brad]

Report issues button on the right side:

http://www.cityofomaha.org/pw/streets-a ... ow-removal

[TechnicalDisaster]

This is super beyond fail-o-rama. But then the city can't even plow their own sidewalks, how are the supposed to get to bus stops? 30th street is pretty much still a disaster, a week after the snow.

The city is NOT responsible for shoveling sidewalks, that's the land owners job.  The land owners are also responsible for clearing around their own mailboxes and fire hydrants.  I would GUESS if the Bus shelter is built on a sidewalk, that the landowners responsibility too.  The city only clears streets and their own property.  I think you can get a fine if you don't clear the sidewalk on your property.

How do we know that MAT didn't shovel the entry-way to the bus station, and a plow blocked it later?

[StreetsOfOmaha]

We can all agree that MAT sucks a big one and then some

Yes.

At the same time, I can hardly blame them anymore when taking into consideration what public transit has had working against it over the past 60 years with the lack of leadership at the local and federal levels.

[mrdwhsr]

We can all agree that MAT sucks a big one and then some but this just seems to basic and pretty telling that the people at MAT have no idea what they're doing.

Or most people in the Omaha Metro area just don't give a damn about MAT so there is very little oversight or pressure to do things right. I am still baffled - why build a bus shelter if you aren't going to maintain it? It's a shame to see shelters and benches allowed to go to heck.

[Uffda]

How do we know that MAT didn't shovel the entry-way to the bus station, and a plow blocked it later?

Then they should be back and clean it out again just like I have to re shovel my sidewalks (if I had any)

[GetUrban]

Another bus stop FAIL that I saw earlier this fall....during the morning rush hour at the MAT bus stop on 72nd just north of Dodge I noticed Crossroads had their lawn irrigation system spraying right on the bus stop bench, sidewalk, and landscaped embankment. No way a person could have waited at that stop by the street without getting soaked. There was a person waiting up in the Crossroads lot about 3-4 feet up a steep hill from the bus stop.

[the1wags]

Sprinklers running when it's negative 2 out is quite the fail, though that shows the quality attention to detail management at the crossroads.

[StreetsOfOmaha]

Another bus stop FAIL that I saw earlier this fall....

[the1wags]

[DTO Luv]

To be fair Wags has been living in summer for the past few months so his seasonal reference is a bit off.

[the1wags]

No kidding. California for January too. Hopefully I just skip winter, cause walking today pretty much sucked.

Now to keep this related, having been on more travels makes you realize just how much MAT fails.

[StreetsOfOmaha]

having been on more travels makes you realize just how much MAT fails.

Uh. YES. In terms of urban PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION, after traveling, coming home to Omaha often feels like coming to a third world country.

[Coyote]

I know we have a discussion on here somewhere, but...
I see these type of buses all over the Denver area even in Evergreen and in Durango.
Wouldn't these be more economical for minor routes, more fuel efficient, and easier to get around?

[Uffda]

I will say I have never been on a MAT bus but what I have noticed as I drive around the area that MAT covers is the lousy Bus benches. I have seen a few but very few with any type of covering and others are right up by curb so someone waiting for the bus at that location is going to covered with rain or snow in poor weather. Now I know it probably isnt financially feasible to build covered bus pickup stations everywhere but I drive by the one at the Walmart on N 99th often and there are always some people waiting for the bus -- to me MAT should approach WalMart about a joint covered bus pickup point as it is mostly people going into and out of WalMart.

also how often does MAT adjust routes?  The new apartments in Irvington have many lower income families and I have seen many walking to Walmart along Ida St. The problem is Ida doesn't have sidewalks or much of a shoulder. Although MAT does got to WalMart it doesnt go anywhere near these apartments by going down sorensen parkway.

Also looking at their map -- http://www.metroareatransit.com/pdf/SystemMap_4-10.pdf --- they are kind of neglecting the NW Omaha area beyond 120th.

[DTO Luv]

My biggest complaint is that none of the bus stop signs tell you ANYTHING. Not what bus you're waiting for, a schedule, ANYTHING.

[justnick]

There are MAT signs on state street still, where a bus hasn't run for thirty years.
Bus Benches do not mean the bus will stop there - one on Willit up here - paid for by MAT - is no longer a bus stop, but there is no way of knowing that.

I ride the bus often - mostly as a protest and in hopes that me riding it will some way contribute to it being better, "Hey, look at the fancy dandy boy - let's put purple velour and tassles on everything!". I have nothing good to say about MAT. They're evil and stupid.

[StreetsOfOmaha]

My biggest complaint is that none of the bus stop signs tell you ANYTHING. Not what bus you're waiting for, a schedule, ANYTHING.

Exactly. This is the thing that MOST renders MAT service useless.

At the Omaha welcome center, just yesterday, I was talking with a woman (a doctor) from Pakistan. She didn't have a car and all she wanted to do was go from Downtown to Midtown Crossing.

She had a great sense of humor about it, but asked me in all honesty how anyone is supposed to ride the bus when the bus stops don't tell you anything. There's just a blue sign with a picture of a bus. No route number(s), map, schedule, etc., let alone adequate benches and shelters.

All I could say was that I understood her frustration. I told her that I was about to go back to school to get a master's degree in urban planning with a specialty in transportation, and that maybe one day I could come back to Omaha and help fix the system. Her face lit up as she exclaimed, "Please!"

[Seth]

Do they realize that a few low-cost changes could make a significant difference?  For almost nothing, they could at least put the route numbers on the signs (I'm sure someone is sitting around at the garage without anything to do at some point).  For a few thousand, they could put route maps and schedules at the shelters (like there is at the old ones).  For maybe several tens of thousand, they could update their website so it doesn't look like a grade-school project.  With a workable website, they could write some simple web and mobile apps to check routes and scheduled arrivals, even without going to a full GPS-tracking system.

It's shocking how much better other systems are with essentially the same buses, funding, etc.  Where I moved from, middle-class people actually rode the bus.  I usually cycled during the week, but the bus was awesome to go out to eat or to a bar (since they actually had late-night service on Friday and Saturday night!).

[JPenny]

I have seen some MAT buses around lately that are "shuttle buses"  like the one pictured above.  I dont know what they are used for but the front of them say MOBI or MOBY on them.

[StreetsOfOmaha]

I hear you, Seth, and couldn't agree more.

In answer to one of your questions regarding why they don't put the route numbers on the signs - well, I can tell you without hesitation it's because having route numbers (or any other information at the bus stops) would mean that they would actually have to stick to their bus routes and wouldn't be able to change them all the time like they do now.

MAT has no stability or reliability. It's a complete and utter failure.

I often use the bus to get to work on days that I don't ride my bike, but I realize it's comparatively easy for me since I work Downtown and live in Park East. However, the last two times that I was ready to hand over my money to MAT to take the bus, I was thwarted because the buses were so off schedule.

Just this week I waited 15 minutes past the scheduled time for a bus before reluctantly walking back and taking the car - I then of course passed the bus on my way to work and had to use all the self restraint I had to keep from making a gesture at the driver.

The other time was a couple weeks ago. My girlfriend and I tried (foolishly) to use the bus to get to our early early morning flight out of Eppley on a Wednesday morning. It was going to work out just perfectly, as the very first bus that morning would get us to the airport just in time. We figured that at that obscenely early hour of the morning, and that with the fact that it would be the first bus of the day, that there would be no WAY it could be late...

Again, we waited more than 10 minutes past the time the bus was supposed to be there (10 minutes you don't have when you need to catch a flight).

We ended up having to call for a cab... but the funniest irony is that we ended up flagging down and taking a cab that just happened to be driving by (it was not the one we called for).

So, our trip to the airport ended up costing $15 instead of $2.50. Should I bill MAT for that?

[justnick]

I have seen some MAT buses around lately that are "shuttle buses"  like the one pictured above.  I dont know what they are used for but the front of them say MOBI or MOBY on them.

Moby is mat's disability transport service, by appointment only. Though I don't see why they don't use them for regular routes anymore - ten years ago they used to use the smaller shuttles for shorter routes, but not anymore.

[nativeomahan]

The bus system in San Francisco has apps for your iPhone, with real time bus info, and a complete system map (I have used them when I was there and they are great).  They also have GPS attached to every bus, and each major stop has a marquis that scrolls the times until the next bus on each route will arrive at that stop.  Kind of like subway systems now have.

I realize that millions of people use the bus system in larger cities, vs tens of thousands in Omaha, but the technology is there to do this.  It is rather like the chicken and the egg.  If you build a decent bus system, people will use it.  If people use it, it will become decent.

an example of the SF system...

http://www.sfmta.com/cms/mmaps/official.htm

[StreetsOfOmaha]

What's amazing about that is that even in the "small" city of 200,000 where I studied in France, all of these little conveniences were in place. I guess I don't know about the aps (I can imagine), but all the GPS enabled buses, digital boards showing the time of the next bus, system maps, etc.

Nobody can use Omaha's population figure as a reason the system is not better. The difference is purely cultural.

[Stargazer]

Cultural... meaning the people who live here don't want to ride a bus.

[omaja]

That people do not want to ride the bus is a ridiculous conclusion to make.  Very clearly demand for public transportation exists (considering that MAT has at least some ridership).  The problem is that demand for bus service is suppressed due to the lack of an adequate and functional bus system.  How can a good percentage of Omaha decide if they want to take the bus when MAT fails to even serve their area?

[Coyote]

I think it also has to do with a good clean experience. Durango has free Trolley services in the downtown area:

[Stargazer]

Durango has a proportionately larger tourist base to use those shuttles (although I do think Omaha should at LEAST have a free downtown shuttle... Des Moines has one).

Very few people in west Omaha/Sarpy County are going to walk to the bus stop (much less drive to a 'park and ride') only to spend at least twice as long to cover their usual 15-20 minute commute.   Larger numbers of us work in sprawling business parks... it would take 5 minutes to walk to a major street with a bus line... another 5 minutes to get to the front door of work... that's half of most of our commute time.

The express buses make the most sense from these locations... and there's still virtually ZERO ridership on them.

It might be different if we had the commute of a Minneapolis... but we don't (some people would say 'amen' to that).

Your best hope for expanded mass transit (and a whole infrastructural upheaval)... is $5+ gasoline.

[Omababe]

Cultural... meaning the people who live here don't want to ride a bus.

Agree.

That's one of the first things I noticed about the collective behavior of the people here in Omaha.

Using the bus for regular transportation is somewhat of a social stigma! Like "... you take the bus? What's WRONG with you!"

The car scene is very much infused into the culture here. It's been 50+ years (1955, IIRC) since Omaha's trolley network was dismantled and residents have seen any serious public transit. That's 2-3 generations of inbreeding!

Very seldom do I ever see a city bus with a significant number of passengers.

[TitosBuritoBarn]

I bet if we vastly improved the system (more routes, nicer/fancier buses, fewer tardy buses, improved bus stops that include route maps and light boards giving information on the next approaching buses, etc) and then market the |expletive| out of it, I bet there would be a large growth in bus ridership.

I think part of the reason the bus has a negative stigma here is because its been neglected. Revive it and people will want to ride it again. With the way it is right now, if I lived near a bus stop and worked near a different bus stop, I wouldn't freaking ride it. Put some money in it and I would reconsider.

[S33]

I'd never be a frequent rider simply because I despise being in confined spaces with complete strangers, but, Titos is right. Improve the system, market the shyt out of it, and ridership would most likely greatly increase. I think they should even market a weekend route for bargoers. I remember being in Iowa City taking a bus (lynx maybe) from dorms to the bars and back.

[justnick]

Very seldom do I ever see a city bus with a significant number of passengers.

Where are these empty buses? Up north they're all usually packed.
I'm going to be the first person to state the obvious, apparently. Which is that the majority of bus riders in Omaha are poor and live in North Omaha. Which unfortunately brings out an entirely huge amount of reasons why that contributes to a neglected bus system. I'm not taking the race route either - because anyone with a brain knows that North Omaha is far more diverse than it's stereotyped to be (and, obviously, I'm white.)

[Omababe]

Where are these empty buses?

I often times see a bus as I pass the intersection of 102nd and Fort in the morning. Usually there's only a few people riding it.

The one that loops through the airport is mostly empty.

[S33]

Where are these empty buses?

I often times see a bus as I pass the intersection of 102nd and Fort in the morning. Usually there's only a few people riding it.

The one that loops through the airport is mostly empty.

Pretty much any bus I've ever seen west of 72nd with the Westroads being the only exception.

[nativeomahan]

Cultural... meaning the people who live here don't want to ride a bus.

No.  People here have been conditioned not to expect much from a bus system.  When people travel to more civilized/developed places you can witness with your own eyes how popular a public transportation system can be if it is made user friendly...meaning, it goes where people want to go, frequently, on time, and in comfort, for a few dollars a trip (vs. $20 or more a day to park in the city center).  I take public transport every chance I can in cities I travel to, and in those places the system is filled to capacity.  And this includes cities much smaller than Omaha.  And there is no class or cultural stigmatization to public transport, by the way.  No one would think of developing housing that was not on a public transport line.  We are still a ways away from that here, sad to say.

[omaja]

Very few people in west Omaha/Sarpy County are going to walk to the bus stop (much less drive to a 'park and ride') only to spend at least twice as long to cover their usual 15-20 minute commute.   Larger numbers of us work in sprawling business parks... it would take 5 minutes to walk to a major street with a bus line... another 5 minutes to get to the front door of work... that's half of most of our commute time.

The express buses make the most sense from these locations... and there's still virtually ZERO ridership on them.

All you continue to do is highlight how the current MAT system is broken.  Of course no one in West Omaha and Sarpy County is going to walk to a bus stop when they either don't exist or are located a ridiculous distance away.  And absent a sizable ridership on its regular routes, MAT's express routes are doomed for failure as well.  MAT in its current form has little connectivity, restricted hours and low frequencies.

It might be different if we had the commute of a Minneapolis... but we don't (some people would say 'amen' to that).

A smile comes across my face every time someone mentions how Omaha's commute is so easy.  The problem with relying on that to discredit a need for public transportation is that Omaha's commute will only continue to lengthen.  The Twin Cities at one time had an average commute about the same as Omaha.  So did New York and so did LA, for that matter.  

Your best hope for expanded mass transit (and a whole infrastructural upheaval)... is $5+ gasoline.

It isn't any individual's singular best hope for expanded mass transit; it's in Omaha's collective best interest to reevaluate its transportation infrastructure before it reaches the 3.5 million people that the Twin Cities area has.  Otherwise, it will come to a grinding halt long before then.

I think that the bottom line is that MAT is clearly broken no matter what way you look at it.  It needs to be fixed.  And if it were fixed to provide efficient service, good connections to relevant parts of the metro area, longer operating hours and better frequencies (starting with a workable, stable schedule), ridership would increase dramatically.