EMBARK Celebrates Milestone for Safe and Accessible Bus Service

July 1, 2020

Today, EMBARK and partner Tyler Outdoor celebrated the installation of its 100th bus shelter. Over the last year, 100 bus stops throughout Oklahoma City have received new shelters. Now, more stops offer customers overhead shelter and a renewed sense of security and accessibility when using public transit. In addition, new shelters include security lighting and ADA-compliant sidewalk connections and trash receptacles.

The 100^th shelter installation is located at SW 23^rd St. and Walker Ave., with funding for this particular shelter provided through a grant from The City of Oklahoma City Planning Departments' Strong Neighborhoods Initiative (SNI). Oklahoma City's Capitol Hill neighborhood is one of two neighborhoods selected for the SNI grant and is where EMBARK celebrated the 100-shelter milestone with Tyler Outdoor Media on July 1, 2020.

Since December 2014, EMBARK has upgraded 208 bus stops with new shelters. The most recent EMBARK Customer Survey revealed the "availability of accessible bus stops" as the single most important service rating among customers using EMBARK transit.

"Annually, we ask for feedback from our customers. Last year, two areas were identified for improvement - bus stop amenities and access to bus stops," said EMBARK Administrator Jason Ferbrache. "Thanks to our Board of Trustees, OKC City Council, and Tyler Outdoor, we were able to put a plan in motion to improve our customers' experience. Together, we set an ambitious goal of installing 100 new bus shelters in one year, and we are excited to have met that goal."

As part of the MAPS 4 Transit project, 500 additional shelters with security lighting and ADA-compliant sidewalk connections are planned. Over 50% of bus customers use EMBARK services 5+ days per week, making it crucial for proper shelters to offer safety and accessibility to those using EMBARK for essential transit service.