Transit evokes the image of a large bus running up and down an urban city street, but urban buses are only a portion of the broader picture. Oklahoma’s large urban systems (serving communities with populations of 50,000 or more) are directly funded by the FTA, along with city and state funds, but ODOT is responsible for administering Rural Transit funds. Many of the rural public transportation operators in Oklahoma use standard minivans and buses and provide services to Oklahoma’s disabled populations under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Just as the urban and rural vehicles differ, so too does their funding structure. These funding sources include federal, state, private and nonprofit sources, as well as local funding.

In Oklahoma, 19 rural public transportation systems operate in all 77 counties statewide, though not all communities in those counties have access to transit service. In fiscal year 2022, these rural transit systems provided more than 1.74 million trips. Twelve percent of those trips were made by persons who are elderly or disabled.

The financial assistance programs that are administered by ODOT’s Office of Mobility & Public Transit include funding from the federal government and from Oklahoma’s Public Transit Revolving Fund. In fiscal year 2023, the federal Rural Area Formula Grant Program (Section 5311) provided nearly $21 million in formula funding for public transportation services in Oklahoma’s rural areas. The state’s Public Transit Revolving Fund provided $7.5 million to Oklahoma’s rural transit programs.

Urban public transportation systems serve communities with populations of 50,000 or more. In Oklahoma, urban public transportation providers are currently operating in Oklahoma City, Tulsa, Edmond, Norman and Lawton. Their services include transportation for the general public, along with more specialized services for citizens who are elderly and/or have a disability.

The Fort Smith, Arkansas metropolitan area includes portions of Sequoyah and LeFlore counties in eastern Oklahoma. CityLink Edmond receives urban funding from a portion of the funding received by Oklahoma City. The federal Urban Area Formula Grant Program (Section 5307) provided $25.02 million in fiscal year 2023 funds to urbanized areas in Oklahoma. The Federal Transit Administration apportions this amount based on the percentage of population attributable to the states in the urbanized area, as determined by the latest census. The state’s Public Transit Revolving Fund provided $3.2 million to Oklahoma’s urban public transit programs.