Nebraska Public Transportation Week was celebrated April 11-17

Governor Pete Ricketts has designated the week of April 11-17 as Nebraska Public Transportation Week.

Nebraska Public Transit Week is a Nebraska public transportation celebration and promotion organized by the Nebraska Department of Transportation (NDOT) and the Nebraska Association of Transportation Providers (NATP) in partnership with Nebraska Public Transportation.

Despite the COVID-19 pandemic that will reduce Americans’ need to travel in 2020, Nebraska public transportation has proven its essential nature with over 2.7 million passenger journeys. Transit providers traveled over 5.7 million miles to get Nebraskans where they needed to go. In Nebraska, 5.8% of households do not have access to a vehicle. Public transportation in both rural and urban communities is vital for these Nebraskans as well as those who cannot drive a personal vehicle. For these thousands of Nebraskans, public transport provides a link to health care, education, work, and other vital services.

The Public Transit Week promotes both urban and rural providers. While urban providers have the largest number of drivers, they only make up seven of the 62 public transportation providers in Nebraska. The 55 rural transit agencies accounted for almost 52% of all public transport miles traveled. Most rural transit providers offer a demand-response service, where journeys are booked in advance and take passengers to a specific destination, similar to carpooling. In addition to Nebraska’s 62 public transportation providers, six agencies operate regular, scheduled intercity routes across the state.

For more information on local carriers, visit the Nebraska Public Transit website at nebraskatransit.com. The website includes an interactive map for locating public transport providers, details of events during the public transport week, and information for drivers. The website design is accessible to all Nebraskans.

During the public transport week, transport companies are encouraged to celebrate at social distance, which is in line with local health guidelines. We encourage the community to visit the Nebraska Public Transit website to find their local agency’s events and attend the celebration. NATP members, NDOT staff, and the Nebraska Public Transit team will participate in virtual events to help agencies promote local public transportation.