ORBT - Omaha Rapid Bus Transit

stadsborgare · Post by **stadsborgare** » Mon Aug 03, 2020 10:32 pm

84th & Dodge Eastbound, August 3

Busguy2010 · Post by **Busguy2010** » Mon Aug 03, 2020 11:25 pm

Cool! I JUST drove by there tonight and was wondering what that unique feature was on the west end of it. This answers my question.

ita · Post by **ita** » Tue Aug 04, 2020 1:59 pm

ORBT Station Walkthrough

A quick video highlighting the amenities at the full service stations.

Uffda · Post by **Uffda** » Tue Aug 04, 2020 3:55 pm

ita wrote: Tue Aug 04, 2020 1:59 pm ORBT Station Walkthrough

A quick video highlighting the amenities at the full service stations.

Looks interesting - With that one open to the north that is going to be a cold wait in the winter.

stadsborgare · Post by **stadsborgare** » Sun Aug 09, 2020 2:33 pm

49th & Dodge eastbound (August 9)

49th & Dodge westbound

Busguy2010 · Post by **Busguy2010** » Sun Aug 09, 2020 6:11 pm

I was gonna say with the current state of the 49th station, it may well take until October+ until all the canopies are installed. But all the other 5 of the 6 stations are much closer to accepting their canopies.

Busguy2010 · Post by **Busguy2010** » Sun Aug 09, 2020 6:16 pm

Not that it's a negative thing, but I wonder what's up with some of the peculiar concrete barriers/formations at some of the stops.

Post by **BRoss** » Sun Aug 09, 2020 9:50 pm

I noticed from the pics that they are putting in new bronzed signals there at 49th Street. It's nice that it is finally going to match with the ones surrounding it (46th, 50th, 52nd). I think they really improve the look of the area.

Busguy2010 · Post by **Busguy2010** » Sun Aug 09, 2020 11:09 pm

HR Paperstacks wrote: Sun Aug 09, 2020 9:50 pm I noticed from the pics that they are putting in new bronzed signals there at 49th Street. It's nice that it is finally going to match with the ones surrounding it (46th, 50th, 52nd). I think they really improve the look of the area.

I think they were working on that for a while. I wanna say they were making the changes and visibly working since May. They also did this at Happy Hollow. Whether it involves the Intelligent Transit System for ORBT, I don't know.

I've noticed many additions of certain devices and such attached to light poles at various intersections... Nowhere specific, it could be to do with anything, but its been since early 2018 since I've been on a bus, so I don't know if they yet have the on-board announcements of intersections. Wouldn't doubt it though... They've made some great strides in the last few years or so.

ProgKingHughesker · Post by **ProgKingHughesker** » Mon Aug 10, 2020 4:52 pm

Busguy2010 wrote: Sun Aug 09, 2020 11:09 pm
HR Paperstacks wrote: Sun Aug 09, 2020 9:50 pm I noticed from the pics that they are putting in new bronzed signals there at 49th Street. It's nice that it is finally going to match with the ones surrounding it (46th, 50th, 52nd). I think they really improve the look of the area.
I think they were working on that for a while. I wanna say they were making the changes and visibly working since May. They also did this at Happy Hollow. Whether it involves the Intelligent Transit System for ORBT, I don't know.

I've noticed many additions of certain devices and such attached to light poles at various intersections... Nowhere specific, it could be to do with anything, but its been since early 2018 since I've been on a bus, so I don't know if they yet have the on-board announcements of intersections. Wouldn't doubt it though... They've made some great strides in the last few years or so.

They do have the announcements, complete with hilarious robotic mispronunciations!

Pronouncing "fontanelle" as "Fontanelly" is bad enough, but hey, that's a localized name, but you'd think the bus robot company would be able to pronounce the word "transit"

GenX · Post by **GenX** » Wed Aug 12, 2020 7:37 pm

Busguy2010 wrote: Sun Aug 09, 2020 6:16 pm Not that it's a negative thing, but I wonder what's up with some of the peculiar concrete barriers/formations at some of the stops.

They’re intended to protect people at the stations from getting hit by a car.

Busguy2010 · Post by **Busguy2010** » Wed Aug 12, 2020 8:06 pm

EricHaley wrote: Wed Aug 12, 2020 7:37 pm
Busguy2010 wrote: Sun Aug 09, 2020 6:16 pm Not that it's a negative thing, but I wonder what's up with some of the peculiar concrete barriers/formations at some of the stops.
They’re intended to protect people at the stations from getting hit by a car.

Yes, easy to assume that's the purpose of the ones against the curb, but the others that mainly look like a pedestrian bottle necker.

S.O.Boy · Post by **S.O.Boy** » Fri Aug 14, 2020 10:14 pm

https://www.ketv.com/article/metro-tran ... h/33606833

S.O.Boy · Post by **S.O.Boy** » Sun Aug 16, 2020 6:08 pm

Orbt is wanting to double the ridership that they had on the #2 line. That would be hard in good times. And here we are with 30% saying they will never ride public transit again and up to 30% working from from home for who knows how long.

Garrett · Post by **Garrett** » Mon Aug 17, 2020 11:20 am

S.O.Boy wrote: Sun Aug 16, 2020 6:08 pm Orbt is wanting to double the ridership that they had on the #2 line. That would be hard in good times. And here we are with 30% saying they will never ride public transit again and up to 30% working from from home for who knows how long.

40% of Americans after 9/11 said they were less likely to fly. I don't think a single poll taken in the height of a disaster is a good predictor of future behavior. Furthermore, was that survey taken of regular transit riders or the general public? A lot of the people that take transit in Omaha don't necessarily have the choice to work from home, or stop taking transit at all.

Post by **nebugeater** » Mon Aug 17, 2020 12:42 pm

Garrett wrote: Mon Aug 17, 2020 11:20 am
S.O.Boy wrote: Sun Aug 16, 2020 6:08 pm Orbt is wanting to double the ridership that they had on the #2 line. That would be hard in good times. And here we are with 30% saying they will never ride public transit again and up to 30% working from from home for who knows how long.
40% of Americans after 9/11 said they were less likely to fly. I don't think a single poll taken in the height of a disaster is a good predictor of future behavior. Furthermore, was that survey taken of regular transit riders or the general public? A lot of the people that take transit in Omaha don't necessarily have the choice to work from home, or stop taking transit at all.

How many of that 30% road more than on a rare occasion before. Need a survey or routine riders to start with along with what Garrett says.

Busguy2010 · Post by **Busguy2010** » Mon Aug 17, 2020 1:09 pm

The 2 has been busy enough lately to get back to its normal 15 minute frequency. The regular riders aren't of concern as its the regular riders that have supported the system for years. ORBT can definitely maintain and improve the efficiency of the 2, but I'm not so sure they can double the ridership of the 2. I wasn't so sure they could do that before the pandemic.

Anyway, I'm sure S.O.Boy is totally in support of ORBT, just pointing out some stats that may affect ORBT. I'm not so sure it will be as exciting a grand opening as it was meant to be with all sorts of new riders flock-ing to it, but it will still be a big improvement. Can't fault Metro for the pandemic.

Busguy2010 · Post by **Busguy2010** » Tue Sep 29, 2020 1:27 pm

Went for another drive down Dodge street last night to check on the stations. Looked done to me, although some lanes were still closed as of last night. Guessing they are open as of today since Metro updated the ORBT construction page saying that they were all complete. Next step would be canopy installation, which I'd guess will be complete within two or three weeks. Technically they still have three months to hit their "later this year" goal. Hope it will be sooner rather than later.

Busguy2010 · Post by **Busguy2010** » Tue Sep 29, 2020 1:28 pm

http://www.rideorbt.com/construction/

ita · Post by **ita** » Tue Sep 29, 2020 3:28 pm

Busguy2010 wrote: Tue Sep 29, 2020 1:27 pm Went for another drive down Dodge street last night to check on the stations. Looked done to me, although some lanes were still closed as of last night. Guessing they are open as of today since Metro updated the ORBT construction page saying that they were all complete. Next step would be canopy installation, which I'd guess will be complete within two or three weeks. Technically they still have three months to hit their "later this year" goal. Hope it will be sooner rather than later.

Thanks for the update. I haven't been on Dodge for a couple months now, so I haven't been able to personally track the progress. I did see a couple ORBT buses parked at METRO's HQ in North Downtown. They look sharp and I am excited to see them cruising Dodge in the near future.

Busguy2010 · Post by **Busguy2010** » Tue Sep 29, 2020 11:36 pm

Since it appears the remaining stations are going to be in place within a month, the remaining question is what kind of amenities will be in place for the "stops" of 33rd, Park ave, and Keystone trail on the opening day. Heh, could just be a wheel hub filled with concrete with a sign stick in it.

Busguy2010 · Post by **Busguy2010** » Wed Sep 30, 2020 4:17 pm

Well that's pretty funny. According to Metro, 90th and 84th have already been installed

Omahacritic · Post by **Omahacritic** » Sun Oct 04, 2020 10:02 am

It’s October. What’s the new date?

SiliconFarmer · Post by **SiliconFarmer** » Thu Oct 08, 2020 2:37 pm

Omahacritic wrote: Sun Oct 04, 2020 10:02 am It’s October. What’s the new date?

November 18th

http://www.ometro.com/index.php/orbt-to ... ree-fares/

Post by **Omaha Cowboy** » Thu Oct 08, 2020 9:17 pm

From the W-H-

“Omaha’s new rapid bus transit line will start operating Nov. 18.

Metro is nearing the end of construction on the long-planned ORBT route, which will run from downtown to Westroads Mall, and the transit agency announced the line’s start date Thursday.

Metro also said fares will be free through mid-March.

The new line’s operation means the existing Route 2, which also runs on Dodge Street, will end Nov. 17. In its place, ORBT will increase the daily round trips from 65 to 100 on weekdays, Metro said.

“The launch of ORBT marks the beginning of a new era for transit in Omaha,” Jay Lund, chairman of the Metro board, said in a press release.

The rapid bus line brings Omaha a major public transit upgrade that has proven popular in other big cities.“..

The complete W-H story link:

https://omaha.com/news/local/govt-and-p ... 874a8.html

Ciao..LiO...Peace

ita · Post by **ita** » Fri Oct 09, 2020 4:53 pm

Omaha Cowboy wrote: Thu Oct 08, 2020 9:17 pm From the W-H-

“Omaha’s new rapid bus transit line will start operating Nov. 18.

Metro is nearing the end of construction on the long-planned ORBT route, which will run from downtown to Westroads Mall, and the transit agency announced the line’s start date Thursday.

Metro also said fares will be free through mid-March.

The new line’s operation means the existing Route 2, which also runs on Dodge Street, will end Nov. 17. In its place, ORBT will increase the daily round trips from 65 to 100 on weekdays, Metro said.

“The launch of ORBT marks the beginning of a new era for transit in Omaha,” Jay Lund, chairman of the Metro board, said in a press release.

The rapid bus line brings Omaha a major public transit upgrade that has proven popular in other big cities.“..

The complete W-H story link:

https://omaha.com/news/local/govt-and-p ... 874a8.html

Ciao..LiO...Peace

They must not talk about board appointees publicly, but when did Jay Lund become the board chair? He is one of, if not the most, ardent streetcar advocate in the City. I had heard previously that OMetro pushed back on potential management of a streetcar line, but with Lund as board chair, there would not be an issue.

Omahacritic · Post by **Omahacritic** » Sat Oct 10, 2020 11:11 am

SiliconFarmer wrote: Thu Oct 08, 2020 2:37 pm
Omahacritic wrote: Sun Oct 04, 2020 10:02 am It’s October. What’s the new date?
November 18th

http://www.ometro.com/index.php/orbt-to ... ree-fares/

Not too bad. Just missed July and October dates.

Question to be asked ... are the stops actually finished? Will the electronics be in operation?

Let’s hope they can find the riders.

Omahacritic · Post by **Omahacritic** » Mon Oct 12, 2020 11:50 am

On the other hand, re-striping to bus exclusive lanes along Dodge St is progressing.

Busguy2010 · Post by **Busguy2010** » Mon Oct 12, 2020 12:22 pm

Omahacritic wrote: Mon Oct 12, 2020 11:50 am On the other hand, re-striping to bus exclusive lanes along Dodge St is progressing.

Have they physically done this now?

Omahacritic · Post by **Omahacritic** » Mon Oct 12, 2020 7:23 pm

All painted, in places. I don’t know how much they are painting so I can’t say if it’s finished or not. If you drive past Joslyn you will notice it.

On the other hand, many of the stops do not have lighting installed. Dark Shadows!

Busguy2010 · Post by **Busguy2010** » Tue Oct 13, 2020 12:11 pm

I drove by last night, and so far it looked like they have 20th to 30th striped. I liked that from 20th to 24th, there was a buffer zone striped out. Nothing written out, yet, as I would presume some "Bus Only" paint would be added. Also there was some small work going on at the SW corner of 33rd & Dodge, assuming they are installing some sort of shelter for the ORBT "stop" there.

riceweb · Post by **riceweb** » Tue Oct 13, 2020 12:27 pm

I feel like the ORBT approach is the bare minimum that we should expect for the entire bus system ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Cermak · Post by **Cermak** » Tue Oct 13, 2020 7:27 pm

I like that it’s free. You basically can park at Westroads go downtown then ride back to Westroads 2 or 3 hrs later and never pay for parking downtown. Seems like a good deal to me. We all know Westroads has plenty of free parking.

Dundeemaha · Post by **Dundeemaha** » Wed Oct 14, 2020 10:11 am

I believe less than 1/8th of Metro's revenue comes from fare collection, and that's before the cost of fareboxes, delays from taking fares, distributing fare cards, collecting/counting/depositing the small change, etc. Maybe their partnerships with UNO, MCC, etc are counted separately and significant, but really either way I think it would be a fantastic idea to make the entire system free.

It would surely increase ridership lessening congestion. Plus, it would speed up bus routes, no more holding up the entire bus while they insist on waiting for the last new passenger to pay and finally reach their seat.

Louie · Post by **Louie** » Wed Oct 14, 2020 10:45 am

Cermak wrote: Tue Oct 13, 2020 7:27 pm I like that it’s free. You basically can park at Westroads go downtown then ride back to Westroads 2 or 3 hrs later and never pay for parking downtown. Seems like a good deal to me. We all know Westroads has plenty of free parking.

Is it free just for the introductory period? Or long term?

SiliconFarmer · Post by **SiliconFarmer** » Wed Oct 14, 2020 11:46 am

Louie wrote: Wed Oct 14, 2020 10:45 am
Cermak wrote: Tue Oct 13, 2020 7:27 pm I like that it’s free. You basically can park at Westroads go downtown then ride back to Westroads 2 or 3 hrs later and never pay for parking downtown. Seems like a good deal to me. We all know Westroads has plenty of free parking.
Is it free just for the introductory period? Or long term?

Free for an introductory period of 4 months.

Cermak · Post by **Cermak** » Wed Oct 14, 2020 4:51 pm

This should be free indefinitely. Or at least very cheap like maybe $2.00 per ride. If they charge to much people will just drive. This is Omaha not Chicago. Omaha is a easy city to drive around in, Chicago not so much.

Busguy2010 · Post by **Busguy2010** » Wed Oct 14, 2020 6:01 pm

Been no word on how much it will cost. Current fare is $1.25, been that way my whole life.

ita · Post by **ita** » Wed Oct 14, 2020 6:29 pm

Busguy2010 wrote: Wed Oct 14, 2020 6:01 pm Been no word on how much it will cost. Current fare is $1.25, been that way my whole life.

I believe the site's FAQ states that it will be be regular fare price. So, unless they update the regular fare, it will be $1.25

Omahacritic · Post by **Omahacritic** » Wed Oct 14, 2020 7:34 pm

Dundeemaha wrote: Wed Oct 14, 2020 10:11 am I believe less than 1/8th of Metro's revenue comes from fare collection, and that's before the cost of fareboxes, delays from taking fares, distributing fare cards, collecting/counting/depositing the small change, etc. Maybe their partnerships with UNO, MCC, etc are counted separately and significant, but really either way I think it would be a fantastic idea to make the entire system free.

It would surely increase ridership lessening congestion. Plus, it would speed up bus routes, no more holding up the entire bus while they insist on waiting for the last new passenger to pay and finally reach their seat.

Omaha Bus System still accepts coin and cash? Say it ain’t so.

But as I think about it, there are no places to buy a bus pass along the downtown system. No place to reload a Metro-Pass or an Oyster Card.

This is 2020 isn’t it?