After years of planning and construction, Oklahoma City welcomed the first passengers on the Rapid Northwest bus route in December 2023. It travels between downtown OKC and just south of Lake Hefner along Northwest Expressway and Classen Boulevard.
“To wake up to a bus that runs every 12 to 15 minutes — not just on the weekdays, but on the weekends as well — was a new day for Oklahoma City and for people who rely on transit,” City Councilmember JoBeth Hamon said in a video from the day after the route began operating.
EMBARK Director Jesse Rush reviewed Rapid Northwest's first year of service at an OKC City Council meeting earlier this month.
“Since our start of service, we're averaging about 1,200 riders per day using our service,” Rush said. “Our expectations were about 1000 riders per day, so we are exceeding that expectation.”
The Northwest Rapid route hit that goal in its first month of operation. Since then, ridership has grown about 2% every month on average. In total, the route provided nearly 450,000 rides throughout its first year.
Oklahoma City residents voted in July to approve MAPS 4, which includes a second bus rapid transit route connecting the Adventure District in the northeast part of the city to bus stops on the southwest side, near Will Rogers International Airport and the Amazon fulfillment warehouse.
That route will begin construction in 2028. Once completed, it’s expected to serve around 2,700 riders daily.
