Low Ridership May Not be a Big Concern for OKC Streetcar
Development, rather than ridership, is a measure of success for Oklahoma City streetcar according to its officials. For the first seven weeks of operation the OKC streetcar was free and saw just over 120,000 riders. However, in February 2019, they began charging a $1 per ride, and ridership has stayed well below those figures since.
However, from the time the streetcar route was announced to 2018, the three-block area around the streetcar route saw more than $1.6 billion in private and public investment, and that number is continuing to grow.
Omaha will not follow OKC’s model and will offer free rides similar to the Kansas City model. But this article is still a valuable lesson in the economic impact a streetcar can make.