According to the study, 27 percent of Broken Arrow households have limited access to one or fewer vehicles, 15 percent of the population are elderly, eight percent of the City’s residents live in poverty, and seven percent are disabled. 

The goal of the Broken Arrow Public Transit Study was to improve the overall quality of life within the region by creating an efficient, affordable, and sustainable public transportation system that is easily accessible by all.

Approximately 10,000 residents work in Broken Arrow, and nearly 46,000 people are employed in Tulsa and other communities. 

“We have heard from our citizens on the importance of ensuring we have community access to public transit,” said Community Development Director Larry Curtis. “Moving forward, we must become a leader within the region on providing public transit for the residents of the City.” 

The study provided near-term and long-term options for delivering public transportation services within Broken Arrow and to the City of Tulsa for consideration. 

The near-term recommendation addresses public transportation needs for the next one to five years. It involves implementing a microtransit pilot program in a core area of Broken Arrow to serve residents and maintains the regional express bus from Broken Arrow to downtown Tulsa. 

Microtransit is a demand-response service and uses the same technology and interface as Uber and Lyft. 

The recommended long-term scenario addresses public transit needs for the next 10-15 years. It includes a microtransit service, a regional express bus service, and a fixed-route bus service. 

The City will re-evaluate the recommendations after completing the microtransit pilot program.

“I fully support this, and I feel like it’s the direction that we need to go to help the underserved, so they have access to the services they need,” City Manager Michael Spurgeon said. 

Funding for the new and improved transit system would come from multiple sources, including 50-80 percent in grants from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA), a possible partnership with Northeastern State University-Broken Arrow, local businesses, and the City.

“We’re currently spending $34 per rider to move people around the City, which is an exorbitant amount of money,” Curtis said. “We’re trying to bring the costs down and increase ridership.”

The study, prepared by planning, design, and engineering consultants Kimley-Horn & Associates, encouraged citizen engagement throughout the process, ensuring the community had a part in shaping the future of public transportation in the city.

Public engagement strategies included:

• An online survey.
• In-person surveys.
• An online mapping exercise.
• Virtual and in-person meetings.

The community input fed into the Existing Conditions and Needs Assessment which evaluated the current transportation needs within the City, demographic data, travel patterns, land use, transit-dependent populations, and existing transit services. 

City Councilor Scott Eudey expressed his excitement about the opportunity to bring more travel options to residents. 

“I support having a bus service to get us to and from Tulsa, but even more for people to get from their home to the doctor, grocery, or post office, whatever they need to do,” he said. “That’s where the microtransit comes in, that is the future nationwide. I think we need to be ahead of the trend, and I support this very much.”

With the adoption of the Final Report, City staff will begin looking at the next fiscal year’s budget, looking to the community partners already in place, and developing new ones to make this plan a reality for the citizens of Broken Arrow. 

Curtis said he expects to have a plan ready to implement the pilot program in early 2023. 

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