Widgets Magazine
  • City agency recommends streetcar fares

    In its meeting today, the Central Oklahoma Transportation and Parking Authority (COTPA) will vote on a resolution to approve a proposed rate structure for the city's streetcar system.



    The recommended fares are the result of a study conducted by a paid consultant, Four Nines Technologies, which was hired in 2016.

    Four Nines were commissioned to review fares for the entire EMBARK transit system which also includes city buses, paratransit and the Oklahoma River ferry.

    The consultants collaborated with city staff and conducted surveys and listening sessions around the community and also organized focus groups. In addition, they evaluated peer bus and streetcar systems in similar cities.

    If the COTPA board approves the provisional fare structure, additional public input will be sought before any new fares are ultimately adopted.

    The recommendations for the streetcar are for $1 for a 1-hour pass, $3 for a full day and $32 for a month. Youth 7-17, seniors over 60, disabled and those on Medicare would be eligible for half-price fares.

    Universal passes that would cover both buses and the streetcar would be $4 a day, $14 for a week and $50 a month, with the same half-price fares available to those who qualify. Effectively, rates would stay the same but add streetcar service.

    Under the proposed plan, bus fares would remain unchanged at $1.75 for a single trip and $3 for an express trip.



    Streetcar passes will be available on-line and at ticket vending machines on streetcar platforms. Proof of fare payment must be carried on the streetcar and violators will be subject to a fare citation.

    The streetcar is currently under construction in Bricktown, Midtown, Automobile Alley and the central business district. The system is expected to be complete and operational by the end of 2018.



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