Why the city worked to save a northeast OKC bus route from budget cuts

The Oklahoman By Jordan Gerard

June 9, 2025

Key Points

• Oklahoma City's Embark Route 19, despite low ridership, will continue operating for the next fiscal year.

• Funding for the route was secured through administrative adjustments, delaying a previously planned cut due to budget constraints and a change in county funding.

• While a long-term solution is still being sought, city officials and community members emphasize the route's importance as a vital lifeline for residents in northeast Oklahoma City and Spencer.

Oklahoma City hit the accelerator on Embark Route 19, saving it from the budget cut chopping block and also preventing people from having to scramble to find alternate transportation from far northeast Oklahoma City and Spencer.

Although the nearly 25-mile route has the lowest ridership in Embark's roster, City Manager Craig Freeman said the city could find a way to fund it through the next year, giving time for city and Oklahoma County officials to figure out a way to keep it.  

Oklahoma County has helped fund the route for the past 28 years, but in March, county officials told the city that funding would stop, due to a 2024 state law change that repealed multiple laws relating to social services deemed duplicative. 

View the full article: Oklahoman.com