EMBARK Launches Region’s First BRT Service

EMBARK (Oklahoma City, OK), FTA, and the City of Oklahoma City marked the launch of RAPID—the region’s first BRT service—with a recent ribbon-cutting celebration.

The first RAPID line, the NW, has 32 platform stops, stretches 9.5 miles each way, and integrates into the more extensive EMBARK transit network. The route connects downtown OKC to Classen Boulevard and Northwest Expressway to Meridian.

RAPID NW uses a fleet of nine 40-foot CNG vehicles and will operate 365 days a year with service at each platform stop every 12-15 minutes during peak service. The line travels through one of the region’s most job-dense and high-traffic corridors. With nearly 40,000 residents and 91,000 jobs along the line, more than 20 percent of the region’s employment base is estimated to be within a half-mile of this new service.

“The launch of RAPID NW continues the methodical progress we have been making toward better public transit options for our residents,” said Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt. “The RAPID NW provides a new amenity that 40,000 residents can walk to, knowing that within 12-15 minutes, a comfortable bus will arrive to take them to their destination without having to navigate traffic or park. Along this route are workplaces, shopping, major medical facilities, and entertainment. This could be a life-changing amenity for the residents along this line, especially those who haven’t been users of our public transit system in the past. We invite all to give it a try, and I’ll see you on the RAPID!”

BRT was identified as a viable option in the 2005 Fixed Guideway Plan, followed by a concept plan in 2016 with a preliminary design for the first line completed in 2020. Oklahoma City-based Rudy Construction was awarded the construction contract and work began on the RAPID NW in June 2022.

Construction of the $28.9 million line is funded in part by the City of Oklahoma City, Central Oklahoma Transportation & Parking Authority, and USDOT. Two additional RAPID lines are in design as part of the voter-approved MAPS 4 Transit Project.