Omaha Just Designed a Way Better Transit System for Zero Cost

It's tough for mass transit to compete with the fast country roads and wide open spaces of America's heartland. Take Omaha, Nebraska. Population and job densities are super low, the suburbs are super sprawled, parking is super cheap, and pedestrian infrastructure is anything but super. The city's Metro bus system averages just 18 boardings per revenue-hour, and only two of its 34 lines run every 15 minutes—the minimum threshold for show-up-and-go service.

"There's areas where we still don't stand a chance against cars," says Evan Schweitz, a planner with the city's Metro transit agency.