City: Tulsa, OK

Category: Getting Here, Getting Around

Telephone: (918) 585-1195

Description: Oklahomans cling to their cars—approximately 2 percent of Tulsans use public transportation. Although there are 20 bus routes that reach a number of areas of town, the buses don’t run on Sunday and the routes serving some of the most popular tourist attractions run infrequently. One route runs from downtown to the airport and is considerably less expensive than a taxi, but service is limited with about an hour between buses and no late evening or Sunday service.Like many cities, Tulsa is looking at innovative ways to make public transportation useful and cost effective. Fares range from free for seniors 75 and over to $1.50 for adults and $2.50 for lift service. Day passes and multiple-ride passes are offered at reduced prices. The Tulsa Transit Authority is making great efforts to serve its customers with special programs like their Lift Program, curb-to-curb service for clients determined to be eligible for Americans with Disabilities (ADA) Paratransit. Call (918) 582-2100 or check the Web site for more information.All Tulsa buses have bike racks that accommodate two or three bicycles. If the bike and ride program becomes too popular, that could be a problem, but for now it seems to be adequate. There’s also a program for Tulsa residents to borrow bikes from the downtown Denver station, but an advance application must be filled out and filed.In 2009, stimulus funds enabled the transit system to replace a number of their big buses and all of their Lift Program minibuses with vehicles that run on compressed natural gas (CNG). This change alone is estimated to cut 320,000 pounds of pollutants from the air. The savings won’t be noticed immediately because delivery times on the CNG vehicles can be as long as two years.