Rep. Bush Praises Adoption of Public Transit Policy Plan

OKLAHOMA CITY – State Rep. Carol Bush, R-Tulsa, today issued the following statement after the Oklahoma Department of Transportation (ODOT) and the Oklahoma Transit Association (OTA) presented the completed Oklahoma Public Transit Policy Plan to House and Senate leadership in a ceremony at the State Capitol. The policy was a result of House Bill 1365, of which Bush was the principal author.

“I want to thank Secretary Gatz and the team at ODOT as well as the Oklahoma Transit Association and their members for their hard work on this comprehensive plan. It has been an incredible effort by all, and the result will help Oklahoma become a Top Ten state for public transit,” Bush said.

“Oklahomans in all areas of our state need public transit to get to work, to access health care and other necessary services, to shop and much more. Allowing people this freedom of movement enriches their lives and keeps our public economy strong.”

HB 1365 mandated the development of the Oklahoma Public Transit Policy Plan (OPTPP), which was developed as a joint effort by ODOT and the OTA and aims to:

• Establish standards and protocols for agencies involved in the delivery and funding of public transit services.
• Set the foundation for policies guiding transit investments statewide as well as establishing programs and strategies to enhance transit services.
• Support the development of policies that address the transit challenges of today while providing a strong and enduring vision for the future of Oklahoma.

“Oklahoma has a full range of transit agencies, from large urban systems, to tribal systems, to rural door-to-door services,” said Bush. “While existing funding has allowed certain systems to provide basic services, state and federal funding levels have not kept pace with changes in transit demand. The plan is designed to identify the resources needed over a 20-year period in order for public transit in Oklahoma to meet the mobility needs of all Oklahomans.”

“The development of this plan involved significant data collection and analysis using a combination of qualitative and quantitative input, Bush said. This data enabled a detailed understanding and evaluation of existing conditions, transit service performance, service needs and transit funding.”

The plan with the appendixes can be found here: https://www.oktransitplan.org/final-plan. The Executive Summary gives an overview of the plan and the individual chapters provide detailed information.