Travel: Omaha Transit

Omaha transit – the best (and cheapest) way to travel around Omaha. We took the ORBT up to Target, and took the standard bus to the zoo, the farmer’s market, and to the gardens. The schedule is reliable and the public transit in Omaha is way under utilized. It’s not like the L-Train in Chicago, but Bryce and I were shocked how little local residents used the bus. It’s $1.25 a trip, so very cost effective. Okay, let’s checkout some photos.

Omaha Transit

First, the ORBT is a bit of a test – it’s a rapid route on a main road with stops at major junctions. We travelled up to the Target and Chipotle and with accurate schedules, we were just as fast as an Uber. Plus, we had our transfers, so the whole round trip cost us only $2.50.

The machines at the stations (the ORBT bus stop) are easy to use – you can pay with cash or credit. For for the ORBT, you need to pre-pay at the stop, not on the bus. You’ll scan the slip/ticket once you get on.

For the standard bus, you can also scan pre-paid tickets, but you can also pay cash. What I like about the ORBT is that you can buy the ticket and it’s good for 30 days – so you can buy a few at a time, knowing you’re covered. Plus, the schedule is accurately displayed on the ORBT stop as well – you can see the next bus is only 4 minutes away, while the next one is 13 minutes.

We’re not super big socializers in public, yet we sat near a lady who was super talkative on our way to Target – she said that the bus we were on was the busiest one she’d been on in years. There were 7 people on the bus. A bus that could easily fit 60 people. I’m not sure how the system makes money. Well, it doesn’t, it’s a service supported by tax payers, I get that. Just not sure why more people don’t use it.