Downtown Discovery Adds Fare

September 17, 2017

On Tuesday, September 5, the Downtown Discovery will begin charging 50 cents per ride. Formerly the EMBARK fare was 25 cents but offset by an advertising sponsorship that has since expired.

Two public meetings were held on June 7 and June 9, 2017 to receive comments on the proposed changes. The Central Oklahoma Transportation and Parking Authority approved the recommendation to re-establish a fare and increase the fare at its August 4, 2017 Board meeting. Based on current ridership data, EMBARK expects to generate approximately $24,000 in additional revenue as a result of the fare increase.

“EMBARK has worked to balance our budget with the least impact to our riders,” says Jason Ferbrache, EMBARK administrator. “Downtown Discovery has operated since 2011 at no cost to customers. Incorporating a small fare now helps offset the cost to operate the service.”

Originally, the Oklahoma Spirit Trolley service, the route was created to circulate tourists and downtown workers travelling between destinations, events, and restaurants in the downtown area. More than 46,000 trips were taken on the service in 2016.

Downtown Discovery, also known as EMBARK route 050, serves the central business district, Bricktown, the Arts District, downtown transit center, Chesapeake Arena, Myriad Gardens and the Boathouse District. The Downtown Discovery operates until 8 p.m. Monday and Tuesday and until 11 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday.

Note: The Circ, Route 050 was retired in FY2021.