NB: New Metro Flex vans will soon extend the reach of public transit in Omaha

Beginning next week, people on the move in Omaha will be able to hail a cheap van ride using a phone app and be picked up and delivered to the nearest stop on Metro Transit’s bus network.

Metro on Wednesday Aug. 13 will be rolling out what it’s calling Metro Flex, Omaha’s pilot project in a national public transportation movement called microtransit. Metro Flex is an on-demand ride-share service designed to extend public transit in Omaha beyond Metro’s fixed bus routes.

It’s hoped the service can provide “first mile” or “last mile” service that bridges gaps between places that are a ways off of existing bus routes, making travel by public transit a more viable option in Omaha.

As a pilot, the service will at first be available in three city zones: North Omaha, South Omaha and parts of west Omaha. Users within the three zones will be able schedule a ride in a van from home or work to a bus line, from a bus stop to a final destination, or directly to destinations within their zone without connecting to a bus.

And while the fare for Metro Flex has been set at $3 — which includes the cost of transfers and rides on Metro buses — as a way to introduce Omaha to the service, it will initially be free for about two months.

Metro says there are 18 vans ready to roll when service launches a week from now, with as many as 15 set to be on the road at any time.

“This is really a great way to bring people from those harder to reach areas into the overall network,” said Lauren Cencic, Metro Transit’s CEO. “It is a very flexible service that helps fill in some of the gaps.”

The backbone behind the service is the Metro Flex phone app, which allows for trip planning, real-time tracking and payment, all in one place.

Similar to ride-sharing apps like Uber and Lyft, the rider inputs where they want to go.

The app geolocates the person to make sure they are physically within one of the three zones where Metro Flex service is available. It will then plan the trip and provide an estimated time for the van’s arrival.

Depending on the rider’s location and the current and projected location of buses on Metro’s fixed routes, the app will choose the route and bus stop connection that will get them to their final location the fastest. In some cases, it will give a choice of trip options.

“The really exciting thing about this is that it’s so dynamic,” Cencic said. “Everyone will get the best, custom-tailored option for them.”

Van arrival times are estimates and will sometimes adjust, as the six-seat ride-share vans could be summoned to pick up other nearby riders along the way. Users will also be able to track the whereabouts of their ride in real time.

While Metro’s app is new, the technology underlying it was developed by Via, the New York City-based company that is one of the nation’s largest providers of microtransit services. Metro is contracting with Via subsidiary River North Transportation to operate the Metro Flex system and vans.

“We are taking full advantage of their knowledge and the expertise they've gained, but also making sure that we're fine tuning it to meet our needs in Omaha,” Cencic said.

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The Metro Flex app will soon be available in phone app markets under the name Metro Flex OMA ( Seattle also calls its microtransit service Metro Flex and already has an app by that name).

Riders without a smartphone or not wanting to use the app can call Metro Transit to schedule a van pickup.

Ultimately, the wait times will likely be a key to the success of the service and how frequently it’s used by people in Omaha.

Via, which offers a similar service in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, last year said the average wait time for the service there was 19 minutes.

But wait times will always vary, in part depending on the current demand for the service within a zone and the number of vans operating there.

“We are hopeful we have so much demand we will have to look at how to improve wait times,” Cencic said.

Hours of operation will be Monday through Friday, 6 a.m. to 9 p.m., Saturday, 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Sunday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Microtransit becomes part of a broader effort by Metro to upgrade bus service in Omaha, with Metro having more than doubled its property tax levy in the past three years to fund a new initiative called MetroNEXT.

A recent World-Herald analysis showed Omaha has historically neglected public transit, ranking near the bottom among cities regionally in per-capita public tax support, the extent of its routes and total ridership.

Now Omaha’s transit agency is further upgrading its service with Metro Flex.

Microtransit was considered as one of many potential new services under MetroNEXT but did not make the final cut, as Metro instead added frequency on primary bus routes, among other changes.

Then just over a year ago, Omaha’s Sherwood Foundation began talking to Metro about microtransit.

Sherwood officials say that the many social service organizations they support tell them one of the biggest barriers their clients face in their daily lives is the lack of easy and affordable transportation options.

Sherwood ultimately agreed to be the lead donor for a pilot program.

River North earlier this year won the contract to operate the service. It will be paid $7 million in the first two years of the three-year pilot.

Most of that funding will come from Sherwood and other donors, with the service also generating some revenue of its own.

Via already provides microtransit in more than 650 cities around the world, including Seattle; Summit County, Utah; Lone Tree, Colorado; Jersey City, New Jersey; and Fort Worth, Texas.

The three zones for the initial service include areas with the heaviest Metro ridership demand and areas that aren’t very suitable for fixed bus routes due to low population density, narrow neighborhood streets or a lack of sidewalks and safe street crossings once riders exit the bus.

The zones:

North Omaha: Generally bounded by Interstate 680 on the north, Cuming Street on the South, Ninth Street on the east and 52nd Street on the west. Outside that area, the zone also includes Eppley Airfield, an area off Locust that includes the Open Door Mission and state correctional work release center, and the ORBT station at 33rd and Dodge Streets, part of Metro’s rapid Dodge Street bus service.
South Omaha: Generally bounded by I-80 on the north, Harrison Street on the south, 13th Street on the east and South 72nd Street on the west. It also includes the area north of I-80 from between 60th and 72nd north to Aksarben Village, as well as Bergan Mercy hospital.
West Omaha: Generally bounded by West Maple Road on the north, West Center Road on the South, 102nd Street or I-680 on the east and 144th Street on the west. Outside that area, it also includes Oak View Mall.

The vans stay within their zones. So to travel outside a zone, riders need to combine their Metro Flex ride with a bus.

All three zones include existing Metro transit centers that connect with a number of Metro’s fixed bus routes, though the Metro Flex vans will take riders to the closest, most convenient stop along bus routes, too.

The ability to add Metro Flex on either end of a bus ride creates countless public transit commuting possibilities not available now.

For example, a North Omaha resident could take a Route 24 bus into South Omaha and then Metro Flex off the route to a job at an industrial plant. In the end, Metro believes Metro Flex will provide direct access through public transit to thousands more jobs than are available now.

A west Omaha resident living near 144th and Maple could Metro Flex to the Westroads transit center, and then catch the ORBT downtown for a concert or stroll on the riverfront.

An elderly midtown resident could ride an ORBT bus to the Westroads transit center and then Metro Flex to the Social Security Administration office in Old Mill, currently a hard-to-reach location by bus from almost anywhere in the city.

The inclusion of Eppley within the North Omaha Metro Flex zone also creates numerous new possibilities for Omahans to use public transit when flying in or out of Omaha.

On some trips, a rider might choose to Metro Flex on both the front and back end to get point to point — though a second Metro Flex ride would require payment of a second $3 fare.

The $3 fare was determined because it was roughly double Metro’s current fare, which is $1.25 for a one-way ride and another 25 cents for a transfer.

By comparison, the transit authority in Des Moines charges $3.50 for its microtransit service, and Kansas City — where bus fares are free — charges $5 for the first five miles.

Metro already provides a paratransit service called MOBY that offers door-to-door service for individuals who cannot independently use the conventional, fixed-route bus system due to a disability or disabling health condition.

But there are parts of the Metro Flex service zones that are outside the current MOBY service zone. To access those places, MOBY riders can combine a MOBY ride with a Metro Flex ride for a total of $4.25. Currently a MOBY ride alone is $2.50.

Metro Flex will not accept cash for payment.

Instead, riders pay through the Metro Flex app, which will accept debit or credit cards and prepaid cards; the Umo app, the app used to pay for other Metro rides; over the phone with a credit/debit/prepaid card; or by purchasing a Metro Flex token at one of Metro’s ticket vending machines. The machines are available at each ORBT station, Metro headquarters on Cuming Street or at most transit centers.

The service will commence at 6 a.m. on Aug. 13, with Metro also planning a ribbon-cutting event that day.

As with any new program, there will likely be issues that arise and things Metro will learn along the way, Cencic said. But when they do, Metro has the flexibility to adjust, she said.

For example, if Metro finds demand and wait times are higher in some zones than others, it can shift vans between zones.

“The benefit of a pilot is we get to really analyze how well it works, where it works best, and how to maximize any future long-term investment in the service,” Cencic said. “So if we see the need, we can adjust, change or shift.”