METRO (Formerly Metro Area Transit - MAT)

Big E · Post by **Big E** » Thu May 04, 2006 12:29 pm

If the city would raise the price and lower the availability of parking downtown they'd be on to something.

Of course, you'd have to deal with the street riots in the meantime...

-Big E

MTO · Post by **MTO** » Thu May 04, 2006 5:18 pm

And the riots on this site just for you saying that. Who was it that bitched about paying 1,000 a year to park downtown?

Big E · Post by **Big E** » Fri May 05, 2006 9:49 am

You can tell you're in a car addicted think-inside-the-box state when people that are crazy enough to ride the bus are the lead story on journalstar.com:

http://www.journalstar.com/articles/200 ... 519084.txt

“There’s some weird people. Over time, you get a feeling who to sit by and who to avoid.”

So it's not really a story about mass transit as it is about the people on mass transit... but anyway, way to go LJS for scaring off people that might have been considering riding. Is Colleen Kinney Lincoln's Rainbow?

-Big E

Swift · Post by **Swift** » Fri May 05, 2006 10:56 am

Anyway, I'm selling my car when I move back to Omaha and I'm going to use PT to get every where like I do here.

StreetsOfOmaha · Post by **StreetsOfOmaha** » Fri May 05, 2006 12:27 pm

That's fantastic, Bob. I might have to join you. Now that I live in the city it is totally feasible.

Swift · Post by **Swift** » Fri May 05, 2006 5:45 pm

woo hoo, we can be bus buddies! we should start a club at UNO or something.

MTO · Post by **MTO** » Sat May 06, 2006 12:30 am

just dont call it buss buddies....

Swift · Post by **Swift** » Sat May 06, 2006 2:05 pm

too late, it already went to council and was voted on. we're now officially "Bus Buddies!"

Exclamation point included in the name.

StreetsOfOmaha · Post by **StreetsOfOmaha** » Sat May 06, 2006 11:28 pm

I'd love to be bus buddies, Bob. I've actually already got one bus buddy named Chancy. He's sort of a friend of a friend who I'd see on the bus from UNO heading towards downtown sometimes.

Anyway, now that school's out for the summer, I probably won't be seeing him.

MTO · Post by **MTO** » Sun May 07, 2006 12:22 am

Well fine then. Ill start the streetcar pals when they start laying track.

Swift · Post by **Swift** » Sun May 07, 2006 12:56 am

that's okay, there's no limit to the number of bus buddies one can have.

MTO · Post by **MTO** » Sun May 07, 2006 1:20 am

how promiscuous

Post by **Brad** » Tue Nov 14, 2006 1:06 pm

2 new bus transfer sites proposed

http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_pg=1636&u_sid=2279898

Making it easier for passengers to make their bus connections is the goal of two transfer centers that Metro Area Transit wants to build.

One of the centers would be near Benson Park. The site is behind the Baker's Supermarket on 72nd Street between Ames and Military Avenues.

The other is northwest of Westroads Mall parking lot at 102nd and Nicholas Streets.

MTO · Post by **MTO** » Tue Nov 14, 2006 1:12 pm

Good ideas. This would be so much better then that make shift one at the westroad already. And at least it's show the community that they are not trying.

StreetsOfOmaha · Post by **StreetsOfOmaha** » Tue Nov 14, 2006 1:54 pm

I was going to start a whole thread on the topic of how RIDICULOUSLY HIDEOUS that "rendering" is. It looks like a five year old did it in Paint.

MTO · Post by **MTO** » Tue Nov 14, 2006 2:09 pm

^ Thats true and funny. I know someone on here who actually uses paint no kidding.

Post by **Brad** » Tue Nov 14, 2006 2:16 pm

I do these cheep renderings in paint.....

Brad wrote:My Idea for the Annex

Annex Property in RED
Jake, (from a few posts ago)
I outlined the Amtrack platform in Green

MTO · Post by **MTO** » Tue Nov 14, 2006 2:56 pm

Well I guess that's all MAT can afford,

Swift · Post by **Swift** » Fri Dec 15, 2006 9:25 am

Purely anecdotal piece of information here, but the last few times I've ridden the #2 it has been standing-room-only.

GaryFL · Post by **GaryFL** » Tue Aug 07, 2007 3:57 pm

The downtown lunch shuttle, aka the yellow circulator, will stop running next month. So says the shuttle driver when I took it today. Which is a shame; a growing downtown needs more local routes, not fewer.

Edited to add question mark to title. See below for follow-up.

Big E · Post by **Big E** » Tue Aug 07, 2007 9:11 pm

Precursor to streetcar announcement?

-Big E

GaryFL · Post by **GaryFL** » Tue Aug 07, 2007 9:40 pm

No, probably just poor ridership. There's hardly anyone ever on it, though you do see businesspeople going down to the Old Market for lunch sometimes.

DTO Luv · Post by **DTO Luv** » Tue Aug 07, 2007 10:33 pm

Now that I work Downtown I hadn't even noticed the shuttle. One thing I do notice is that the people who are out and about want to be out and about. They enjoy the walks so maybe the shuttle didn't seem necessary to most folks.

Swift · Post by **Swift** » Wed Aug 08, 2007 1:25 pm

A walk from 16th and Douglas to say 11th and Harney seems like an enjoyable and short walk to me.

This could also have something to do with more restaurants opening on 15th and Farnam.

Vince Furlong · Post by **Vince Furlong** » Wed Aug 22, 2007 1:50 pm

(could not figure out the best place to put this post......but here goes)

Recently, there was an OWH story and a KFAB story talking about the annual whine about parking at UNO.
The gist was that UNO was losing 300 or so parking spaces to construction of more dorms on the campus.
So, the solution from the UNO rep and the journalists was to use the AK shuttle.

Nowhere in either story was there mention of using MAT or transit. Omaha's bus system is totally
off the radar when people talk transportation in this town.

Ever drive by UNO at rush hour and see NO ONE is the MAT shelter at 60th and Dodge??
15K students and probably 5K employees at UNO every day, and bus ridership is zilch!

UNO says nothing! MAT says nothing! City transportation gurus say nothing!
No one can think of incentives to bring common sense to this issue. Where are the
innovators?

Vince

StreetsOfOmaha · Post by **StreetsOfOmaha** » Thu Aug 23, 2007 8:47 am

I completely agree, Vince.

I'm fortunate to be living close enough to UNO's south campus that I won't need to even worry about parking. It's about a five minute walk to the South Campus bus stop.

Where are the innovators? Well, we're still finishing up with college. :;):

almighty_tuna · Post by **almighty_tuna** » Thu Aug 23, 2007 8:47 am

DTO Luv wrote:Will MAT have anything to do with your streetcar project?

I think MAT will have a lot to do with the streetcar project. Given the permanence of the streetcar line, and future expansions, it would behoove MAT to plan their bus routes around the streetcar to get the best bang for their buck. If planned correctly, both systems can be very complementary. Unfortunately this is MAT we're talking about.

StreetsOfOmaha · Post by **StreetsOfOmaha** » Fri Aug 24, 2007 4:21 pm

Well, as people have mentioned, MAT should be completely dismantled. A new authority should be created that would govern all public transportation in the Omaha region, which could/should someday include comprehensive light rail and commuter rail in addition to the buses.

That way, theoretically, the system would be seamlessly integrated.

omaproud · Post by **omaproud** » Thu Aug 30, 2007 10:32 am

Does anyone have information about the new MAT bus station they are building behind the Baker's at 72nd and Military? Is this part of the new routes being planned? I live in the area and work downtown. Would love to be able to park my car there and ride an express bus downtown.

Stargazer · Post by **Stargazer** » Thu Aug 30, 2007 11:02 am

Move to 168th and West Center and you can take the express bus from Lakeside.

Zephyr · Post by **Zephyr** » Thu Aug 30, 2007 2:08 pm

Definitely not original, but I think it's a good start:

Post by **Brad** » Thu Aug 30, 2007 2:14 pm

Zephyr wrote:Definitely not original, but I think it's a good start:

I like it, the idea of a transit district. It gives more of an identity than MAT and could be inclusive of all the local communities in the "District"

Big E · Post by **Big E** » Thu Aug 30, 2007 2:30 pm

Now THAT I would be happy to subsidize with my property taxes.

-Big E

Zephyr · Post by **Zephyr** » Thu Aug 30, 2007 3:02 pm

You bring up another good topic - how to pay for the district. I believe a sales tax would be more beneficial than the existing property tax because it is indexed to the economy. A sales tax would also be good because visitors would help pay for the system that they would essentially be using when they are in town.

In any event, I think a transit district is bound to happen sooner or later. As the metro continues to grow and more people think regionally, it only makes sense. The test is whether it will happen soon - proactively - or later - reactively. It would be a lot more efficient to just have one regional district covering the entire metro instead of having separate authorities as other major metro areas like Seattle have evolved into.

icejammer · Post by **icejammer** » Thu Aug 30, 2007 3:06 pm

Zephyr wrote:It would be a lot more efficient to just have one regional district covering the entire metro instead of having separate authorities as other major metro areas like Seattle have evolved into.

I believe you might have to change some state laws to develop an authority as you propose, beings the metro encompasses more than one state, but it's not a bad idea.

The sales tax issue would probably be a little more sensitive issue though...

Post by **Brad** » Fri Aug 31, 2007 9:16 am

New MAT center ready for riders

http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_page=2 ... d=10120433

Metro Area Transit expects to open its new south Omaha transfer center - at Metropolitan Community College - within the next couple of weeks. The third center, at Benson Park, could be ready to serve riders by early October, said Curt Simon, MAT's executive director.

Zephyr · Post by **Zephyr** » Fri Aug 31, 2007 11:49 am

Wow that is soooooooo exciting!

StreetsOfOmaha · Post by **StreetsOfOmaha** » Sun Sep 02, 2007 2:54 pm

Zephyr wrote:Wow that is soooooooo exciting!

My thoughts exactly.

Stargazer · Post by **Stargazer** » Sun Sep 02, 2007 6:21 pm

I suppose those people who use the bus from one of these locations are somewhat enthused.

GaryFL · Post by **GaryFL** » Tue Sep 04, 2007 12:06 am

Update...

I've called MAT a couple times in the last month, and I have been unable to confirm the ending of the lunch shuttle. The phone reps I talk to seem surprised when I ask about it. There's nothing on MAT's website about it, either. So I'm inclined to believe the yellow circulator will continue, until I see better confirmation that it's not.