About MTTA

Tulsa Transit is a public trust of the City of Tulsa, established in 1968. Tulsa Transit's General Manager, Bill Cartwright, reports to a 7-member board of trustees appointed by the mayor. Tulsa Transit has approximately 170 employees including bus drivers, mechanics and administrative staff. Bus driving downtown Tulsa

We are here to meet the transportation needs of the communities we serve. The mission of Tulsa Transit is to be the Premiere Transportation Provider, Committed to Safe, Professional, Efficient, Reliable, Accessible, Quality Service.

1) Why don't we raise fares so the bus system can pay for itself/why does the city subsidize public transportation?

The current Tulsa Transit 2-hour bus fare is $1.50. Unfortunately, bus fares can not support a public transit operation by themselves. In fact, there are no public transit systems in the U.S. that are not government subsided. The number one transit system in the country, New York City MTA, is 56% subsidized by government grant funding...but what would you do without public transit in Manhattan? If we raised bus fares to a level where they could solely support the transit system, few people would pay the price. The City of Tulsa gets a good return on its investment in its public transit system: 1) it brings in millions of federal dollars to our city, 2) it provides hundreds of jobs, directly and indirectly, to Tulsa citizens, and 3) it provides transportation to thousands of Tulsans every weekday who might not otherwise have reliable work transportation.

2) Why don't we sell more advertising space on buses to pay for increased service levels?

Tulsa Transit raises money by selling advertising space on buses, benches, and passenger shelters. In FY11 this advertising revenue amounted to $601,000. This funding does indeed help support our bus operations, but it only covers about 3.5% of our total operational costs. We will continue to work to increase advertising revenues. Anyone wanting to find out more about how they can advertise their business with Tulsa Transit may call 918-289-3460 or email mike@transitadvertisinginc.com.

3) Why don't we use a grid system?

Although the city of Tulsa street system is set up like a grid, a "grid" bus system is not the most efficient way provide public transit services. First, since all customer pick-ups would be on the street instead of bus stations, the service level would need to be much higher in order to prevent people from having to wait an hour or more for their connecting bus with no protection from the elements. Tulsa Transit's two bus transfer stations are clean, secure, and climate controlled, and most of our routes travel through them so passengers can use them for connections. Second, in terms of cost a, grid system would be very inefficient because it would provide the exact same level of service across the entire grid even though the travel patterns, and overall passenger demand, are very different in various parts of the city. Most major transit systems across the country have discontinued grid type systems in favor of transit hub systems like we have here in Tulsa.

4) Why don't we use lots of smaller buses instead of the bigger ones?

This is a question that all major public transit systems get asked. The main reason for using larger transit buses is that a system can pick up more passengers with fewer buses. This is important because the single most expensive component of running a bus is the driver's wages and benefits. If a transit system used smaller buses, it would need more vehicles, and more drivers, thus increasing the cost of running the system. The second reason to use the larger buses is that they are very heavy-duty vehicles designed for a 12-year life span. Smaller buses are just not built to handle the daily beating the large buses must endure. Ironically, using larger buses keeps maintenance costs down.

5) If we doubled the service levels of the current system, would we double the ridership?

It is difficult to say how much overall ridership would increase simply by increasing the number of bus service hours on the street. However, if we could dramatically increase bus service hours, and we did so in accordance with our city's long-range plans, it is safe to assume that our bus system ridership would dramatically increase as well. There is currently no shortage of demand for public transit services in Tulsa, but the current level of service is so low that many people simply cannot make the system work for them. However, if we could increase the number of buses on the street, increase our geographic service area, and increase our evening and weekend service hours, we would have a bus system that many more people would use on a regular basis because it would be much more convenient to do so.

6) Why don't we wait until more people ride the bus before we increase service levels?

Current demand for public transit services in Tulsa is strong. The problem is that we don't provide the quantity of service necessary to make the system work for many people. If we can find the financial resources necessary to bring our system's service level up to a reasonable standard, we will see many more Tulsans electing to make public transit one of their viable transportation alternatives. Public transit is not necessarily meant to be replacement the automobile, but to be a viable alternative. It's nice to have options.

7) Why do we need to increase the funding/service levels for Tulsa Transit?

The Cit of Tulsa does not enjoy the level of public transit service that our peer cities presently have. These peer cities have recognized the benefits a well funded public transit system can bring to their communities: more transportation options, less traffic congestion, better air quality. Over half of the people using our bus system are commuting to work. Making our system bigger and better will give more Tulsans an opportunity to make it one of their transportation options.

8) Why don't we combine the Tulsa public schools bus system and Tulsa Transit into one bus system?

This is another question that is often asked. The answer is that a public transit bus system and a school bus system are apples and oranges: 1) Public transit buses do not travel into neighborhoods where students wait for their buses, 2) School buses are designed for children and have smaller seats, 3) Most parents would not want their young children riding on a bus with adults. Having said all this, Tulsa Transit transports thousands of high school age students to school each year. These students receive bus passes from their schools, then catch a Tulsa Transit bus just like any other passenger. If Tulsa Public Schools can find a way to transfer more students from its bus routes to Tulsa Transit bus routes, the number of students riding public transit can be increased even more.

9) How many people in Tulsa ride the bus every day?

Every weekday Tulsa Transit provides about 10,000 one-way passenger trips. The actual number of passengers will be less than this since some people must use more than one bus to reach their destination. In addition, the Tulsa Transit Lift Program transports about 800 disabled and elderly passengers each weekday. Our 'Passengers Per Service Hour' metric is 16. This means that our fixed route buses average 16 people on-board at all times. Of course, what this translates to is full buses during peak service periods.

10) Why should I care about the bus system -- I'll never ride the bus?

Never say "never"! We are all getting older and someday will not be able to drive an automobile. How will we get around town? According to the U.S. Census, Tulsa County has around 85,000 residents who claim at least one disability. Many of these people must rely on friends, relatives, or public transit for their transportation needs. In addition, many of our neighbors need the current public transit system, even if we don't. These folks need reliable transportation so they can have steady employment and contribute to our community. Public transit is not welfare...it is an important public service that is vital to the lives of thousands of our fellow Tulsans.

11) Why doesn't Broken Arrow have better bus service?

The City of Broken Arrow should be commended for its contribution to the mobility of its citizens. It is the only Tulsa suburb that actually operates its own public transit system. Tulsa Transit began handling the operations of the Broken Arrow system in 2007. The system is limited because of financial constraints, and the large land area of Broken Arrow. Still, the service provides hundreds of weekday trips to residents who would otherwise not have a way to get to work or other daily necessities.