Midwest Cities Expand Public Transit: 4 Examples

Across the Midwest, growing metropolitan areas are increasing investments in public transit, as well as identifying new ways to expand people’s access to transportation and encourage higher use. By thinking creatively about what types of service to offer, transit agencies in cities like Madison and Omaha are reaching more residents with buses and shared rides, strengthening their local economies, meeting their workforce needs and addressing equity in their neighborhoods.  

Scroll down for a brief overview of other communities’ recent public transit investments.

Metro: Omaha, Nebraska 

In Nebraska, Omaha’s Metro bus system announced a series of significant public transit investments in 2022. The project, called MetroNEXT, increased frequency on several local routes, added more service on evenings and weekends, and expanded service to nearby suburbs and Eppley Airport. Metro is also constructing new bus shelters with real-time arrival displays. A recent funding increase allows Metro to offer free rides to all K-12 students in Omaha and surrounding communities.  

Prior to unveiling these enhancements to public transit, Metro launched Omaha Rapid Bus Transit (ORBT), the region’s first bus rapid transit line. Bus rapid transit operates similar to a light rail, providing frequent, fast service along key corridors.¹ ORBT serves more than 25 bus stops along Omaha’s busy Dodge Street corridor, running every 10 minutes.

^{Photo Courtesy: Metro Omaha}

Approved by Metro’s Board of Directors, MetroNEXT outlines how doubling investment in public transit would support the local economy and attracts new businesses and workforce talent to the region. According to the report: The regional economy would be able to “add as many as 8,000 jobs and see an economic impact of $1.8 billion in added annual business revenue by 2050,” if the Omaha region invested in an enhanced BRT network and succeeded in encouraging development along designated transit corridors.²

Over the past few years, Metro's funding has grown thanks to a series of three property tax hikes. Converting to a regional transit authority in the short term will allow more eastern Nebraska communities to join the agency, increasing revenue even more toward the study’s goal for implementing the full plan. 

Since public transit funding gradually increased over the last few years, Metro reports a growth in ridership on most of Omaha’s core urban bus routes and regional express routes. Metro serves 3.6 million riders annually and is on pace to surpass pre-pandemic ridership levels.

Public Transit in Iowa City, Iowa 

Since 2018, Iowa City leaders have implemented plans to reduce transportation-related emissions in the region, with a goal of reaching net zero carbon emissions in the next 25 years.³ Part of this effort focused on improving the public transit system. By working with transportation experts to create an “optimized version” of Iowa City’s transit system, leaders identified a cost-neutral way to increase frequency on core bus routes and add Saturday service to routes that had not previously operated on weekends.⁴ 

In August 2023, the Iowa City Council voted to make fare on all Iowa City buses free through summer 2025. The pilot program aims to identify how fare-free transit impacts bus riders and whether it helps make transit safer, more reliable and more sustainable. Leaders chose to increase parking fees in Iowa City as a source of revenue for the fare-free pilot program. Darian Nagle-Gamm, Iowa City’s Director of Transportation Services, said there is interest in extending the pilot program past summer 2025 to reduce barriers to riding and make buses more welcoming for residents.

Metro: Madison, Wisconsin 

Metro, Madison’s public transportation provider, launched the first-ever bus rapid transit (BRT) line in Wisconsin’s capital city in September 2024, thanks to a combined state and federal investment of $175 million. Running every 15 minutes along one of Madison’s busiest east-west corridors, the route aims to increase public transit ridership in the city by 20%. Riders from nearby suburbs, like Sun Prairie, can also connect to the BRT line. 

Recently, Metro redesigned its transit system to offer more point-to-point service and increase frequency on some routes. City leaders focused on improving public transit so that bus ridership could keep up with Madison’s rapid population growth.⁵ Although some Madison residents have to walk a bit farther to bus stops with the updated service network, transportation leaders say more residents have access to bus service today.  

By redesigning the network and launching a BRT line, Metro shifted its focus from providing peak service during commute times to creating routes that catered to riders’ travel needs throughout the week, including to community events like Madison’s weekly Dane County Farmers’ Market.  

With an annual budget of around $80 million, Metro says ridership is growing and recent investments in public transit are addressing regional issues, such as traffic congestion on city roads and a shortage of available parking around the city, particularly in downtown neighborhoods. 

^{Photo Courtesy: City of Madison}

COTA: Columbus, Ohio 

City and county-level leaders in Columbus, Ohio, are working alongside public transit officials to relook at how a public transit expansion could serve their region, which will experience a population growth of almost one million people over the next 25 years.⁶ Through this effort, the Central Ohio Transit Authority (COTA) plans to increase transit service in the city of Columbus and its suburbs by 45% through 2030, including at least 5 new Bus Rapid Transit lines and 8 new microtransit zones.  

In November 2024, central Ohio voters will decide whether to approve a sales tax increase that would raise COTA’s share of the local sales tax from a half-percent to 1%. COTA leaders say this increase would generate $6.2 billion in revenue for the agency by 2050.⁷

^{Photo Courtesy: COTA - Columbus, Ohio Transit Authority}

Reimagine DART 

As other Midwest regions have reimagined how public transit can better strengthen and connect their communities, Reimagine DART offers a similar opportunity in Greater Des Moines.  

Together we can ensure DART remains a vital force in driving Greater Des Moines toward a more connected tomorrow. 

Here’s how you can get involved:   

• Sign up for email updates on Reimagine DART.  

• Share your DART story by filling out this form.    

• Share your thoughts on public transit with your elected leaders.  

• Participate in opportunities to learn and offer your ideas. We’ll share opportunities soon!

SOURCES:  

¹Bus Rapid Transit (Federal Transit Administration)

²MetroNEXT: Better Transit for a More Connected Region, Executive Summary 

³Fare Free Iowa City 

⁴Iowa City Area Transit Study 

⁵City of Madison Population Projections Through 2050 

⁶COTA’s Plan to Linkus 

⁷What to know about COTA levy: Columbus wants to catch up to other cities with rapid bus lines