"Gate City"
"Quiet place above all others upon a stream*"
Transportation
Airport
Eppley Airfield is located between downtown Omaha and downtown Florence on Abbott Drive, northeast of downtown Omaha and within 5 miles. The Airport is open 24 hours a day, however, flights do not operate between 11 P.M. and 5 A.M.
Directions: The airport is located at 4501 Abbott Drive ((
)), just northeast of the downtown Omaha area (approximately 4 miles), and right next to the Missouri River. Interstate I-29 runs north and south along the Missouri on the east side of the Missouri River (Iowa). Interstate I-80 runs east and west in the southern part of the city, and I-680 (the I-80 bypass) breaks off from I-80 a bit east of Council Bluffs, IA and continues on a westward direction north of Council Bluffs, then turns south a bit before crossing the Missouri River north of downtown Omaha. It crosses the Missouri River going over the Historic Florence Mormon Bridge, then eventually turns south in west Omaha to join back up with I-80. I-480 crosses the Missouri River in the downtown Omaha area, loops south around the 2700 block area, and then joins back up with I-80.
Therefore, to get to the airport:
From I-680 (the I-80 bypass):
Take Highway 75 / 30th Street exit (first exit on Nebraska side, right next to the Mormon bridge end) and go south on 30th Street to Storz Expressway, then go east on Storz to Abbott Drive. You are almost immediately north of the airport.
From I-80 west of Omaha heading east:
Take I-680 North (in west Omaha) to I-680, then exit at 30th Street, and go south on 30th to Storz Expressway, Storz east to Abbott Drive. You are almost immediately north of the airport.
From I-80 east of Omaha heading west:
Interstate I-680 breaks off from I-80 a bit east of Council Bluffs, IA and continues on a westward direction north of Council Bluffs. If you haven't crossed that point (still a ways east of Council Bluffs), take I-680 across the Missouri River, and take the 30th Street exit (Highway 75); it is the first exit, and immediately after crossing the Missouri River. Go south on 30th to Storz Expressway, Storz east to Abbott Drive. You are almost immediately north of the airport.
If you have already passed the I-680/I-80 split (east of Council Bluffs, IA), continue on I-80 as it dips down to go under Council Bluffs. As I-80 nears the state line, you can take I-29 North to I-680, then across the Missouri to the 30th Street exit (first exit immediately after crossing the Missouri River), then head south on 30th Street to Storz Expressway, then Storz Expressway east to Abbott Drive. You are almost immediately north of the airport.
If you missed the I-29 exit, cross the Missouri River on I-80, then take I-480 North (in east Omaha) to the North Freeway, continue on the North Freeway to the Storz Expressway, then Storz east to Abbott Drive. You are almost immediately north of the airport.
If you missed the I-480 exit, you should exit at 42nd Street, returning to I-480 or to I-29/I-680 methods, otherwise, you would need to loop the entire city back around to I-680. By then, you have missed your plane, or the person you are picking up has taken a cab.
From Downtown:
Abbott Drive south of the Airport intersects with Cuming Street. If heading towards the airport from downtown Omaha, use 13th Street going north (one way). If heading towards downtown, take 14th Street south (one way). Take 10th, 13th, 15th, or 16th Street North to Cuming St. Turn right(east) on Cuming St., which becomes Abbott Drive North.
Starting in December 2021, roadway access to the airport terminals is being expanded to better help in the future. Work will continue until some time in 2022. Details of the construction and how you need to access the terminals during this construction can be found on the airport website for the OMA in Motion section at OMA in Motion web. Visitors approaching from the north will have to do a U-Turn just south of the terminals, then exit to the right to enter the airport. Since the signs can be easy to miss, make sure you visit the website and watch the video showing a birds-eye-view on how to reach the airport. If you use a GPS unit, it likely will not have these updates, so drive at a safe speed to ensure you do not miss any signs.
Airport information is available at 402-422-6817, Business Office 402-422-6800 or on the web.
Amtrak 
Omaha's Amtrak Station is located at 1003 S. 9th Street in downtown Omaha (()). The station is open from 11 P.M. to 8 A.M.
We have two trains departing Omaha.
Heading East:
Arrives Omaha: 5:55 A.M. Departs Omaha: 6:15 A.M.
Stops: Creston (IA), Ottumwa (IA), Mt. Pleasant (IA), Burlington (IA), Princeton (IL), Naperville (IL), Chicago (IL). (3:55 P.M.)
Travel Time: 9 hrs, 40 m.
Heading West:
Arrives Omaha: 11:47 P.M. Departs Omaha: 11:59 P.M.
Stops: Lincoln (NE), Hastings (NE), Holdredge (NE), McCook (NE), Ft. Morgan (CO), Denver (CO), Winter Park (CO), Granby (CO), Glenwood Springs (CO), Grand Junction (CO), Green River (UT), Helper (UT), Provo (UT), Salt Lake City (UT), Elko (NV), Winnemucca (NV), Sparks Reno (NV), Truckee (CA), Colfax (CA), Roseville (CA), Sacramento (CA), Davis (CA), Martinez (CA), Emeryville (CA). (6:10 P.M.).
Travel Time: 42 hrs, 11 m.
Note: From Emeryville, Amtrak has a bus service into San Francisco.
Amtrak Information is available at 402-342-1501 or 800-872-7245 or on their web site.
Cabs
If you are familar with Cab company names that have operated in Omaha around year 2000 or so, things have been changing. Once known as Checker, Happy Cab, Yellow Cab, Cornhusker Cab, Metro Cab, and Safeway Cab, they merged down to three cab compannies, then all merged to operate as one company, known for the a few years as Happy Cab, but now Happy Cab has become part of zTrip. Now that the conversion is complete, this page has the updated information. The rates remained essentially the same, however zTrip added a $2.95 pickup fee and a $5 minimum.
You can find a cab at the airport, at the downtown Greyhound Bus Station,* at the Amtrak Station,* or by calling their dispatch number (402-292-2222).
Rates are set by the Nebraska Public Service Commission. There are three types of rates, labeled as Rate 1, 2, and 3.
Rate 1 is desiginated for the general public traveling inside the city limits.
Rate 2 is desiginated for Senior citizens traveling inside or outside the city limits.
Rate 3 is desiginated for the general public traveling outside the city limits.
The rates are:
Rate 1: $2.31/mile (General public)
(trips first 1/6th mile, and every 1/11 mile after), a pickup rate of $2.95 starts the trip, and the trip must be a $5 minimumRate 2: $1.68/mile (Senior Citizen)
(trips first 1/6th mile, and every 1/8th mile after), a pickup rate of $2.95 starts the trip, and the trip must be a $5 minimumRate 3: $2.25/mile (Out of Town)
(trips every one mile), a pickup rate of $2.95 starts the trip, and the trip must be a $5 minimum
Special rates are:
Hourly: $35.00/hour (2 hour minimum, In-Town only)
(vans and town cars available upon request)Wait Time: $25.20/hour or $0.42/minute
(If you choose to have your driver wait while you stop)
3rd Party Carriers (Uber & Lyft)
Omaha now has alternative means of getting around town, such as Uber and Lyft. If you have the app intalled on your Smartphone, you can get around pretty easily, plus you are aware of their pricing, which has generally been a little under the local Cab fares.
Metro Buses
Omaha's buses, formerly known as Metro Area Transit (MAT) System, is now known as Metro. Buses cover most parts of Omaha, plus they contract bus service for nearby neighborhoods, such as Council Bluffs, Bellevue, Ralston, LaVista, and Papillion. Buses run approximately every 30 minutes during heavy traffic periods, and every hour in less traffic times and areas. On weekends, most 30-minute buses run only once per hour; meaning your chance of catching the metro bus is cut in half, or your wait time is doubled.
There are a few Transit Centers (places where several buses group up to allow easy transfer to several other buses). You can transfer to other buses at several other locations along the route (cross route locations). Bus rates are $1.25 per one-way trip; an additional 25 cents* is charged if you want a transfer slip (must be purchased at the same time). Transfer slips are good for one hour maximum,* and for directions that aren't returning from the originating bus. Metro also has reduced rates ($0.60) for seniors, medicare, and disabled riders with a MetroID card.
- Adult Regular $1.25
- Adult Express $1.50
- Student** $1.00
- Child (Ages 5-9) $0.50
- Child under 5 yrs. with Adult Free
- Elderly/Disabled/Medicare*** $0.60
- Downtown Circulator $0.25*
- Transfers (Purchase when paying fare) $0.25
Full fare details at Metro's website
Bus access locations are labeled on sign posts along with route numbers that stop at that location. A few locations have bus shelters to get out of precipitation but they are not totally enclosed. Some access locations will have concrete benches nearby, but a concrete bench does not indicate a bus stop (check the sign post).
Bus schedules are hard to find (not available at bus stops or bus shelters). The best locations to find schedules outside of the Metro office are at some grocery stores, or locations of heavy bus travel. Each schedule is dated. If you notice a Metro schedule display rack, check the dates of those in the rack with any you might be carrying. Buses are numbered for identification of routes (matching schedules).
Buses have electronic identification on the front of the bus and on the right side behind the front door. Buses do not have any identification on the rear of the bus, so if you see one pulling away when you arrive, check your watch. If you are not at least 5 minutes early, it could be your bus leaving slightly early. This is especially bad when it is late at night, and it is the last bus leaving from this location.*
For efficiency of bus scheduling, some buses change to a different bus number at the end of a route; most often this happens in downtown. Buses also change the route description display on the front of the bus at the end of the route to indicate their destination (and route taken). Very often the driver forgets to change the route description* so if a bus shows up at the access point around the time you expected but with a different description, do not hesitate to ask or you might miss your bus.
Several buses use color designations, rather than numbers. These buses run in the downtown area (labeled Green) to cover the major sections during the morning rush hours and evening rush hours (5:30 to 9 A.M. and 3:30 to 7:30 7 P.M.). The fee is only 25 cents, and the buses run every 5 minutes. Also, there are two buses that run to the outskirts of Council Bluffs (labeled Blue and Yellow). The blue goes more northeasterly to places such as Iowa Western Community College and the Mall of the Bluffs. The yellow goes more southern to places such as Mid America Center and Metro Crossing. The Blue/Yellow fare is the standard $1.25.
Regular buses start around 5 A.M. and run until approximately 11 P.M., although most final pickups occur closer to 10 P.M. (or earlier) at the end of the evening; after that, you take a cab. Most bus drivers are generous on the last run and make sure they don't strand anyone.* Metro does not operate on New Year's Day, Memorial Day, July 4, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day.
Metro office: 402-341-0800 TDD: 402-341-0801. You can get bus route information at the Metro Web site (https://www.ometro.com/) or on Google Maps.
If you use a SmartPhone, the future is looking bright for bus riders. Most buses have a GPS system onboard, and more commonly than not, the GPS data is transmitted back to the bus headquarters. Therefore, they know where every bus is at any time, and they know if it on time or behind. That means they can predict very closely when a bus will arrive at each bus stop. Some metro bus companies have partnered with SmartPhone app developers to provide that information so that riders can tell when a bus is about to arrive. Most SmartPhones have a GPS receiver built in to the phone, so an app can tell where you are, and where the closest bus stop is located. Using the GPS data of the bus location, the app can predict how long before the next bus arrives. Some of the apps developed even allow users to purchase passes using their SmartPhone. There is no reason why the SmartPhone itself could not be used to pay for the bus fare as you board the bus, which could reduce the delay when several people are boarding at the same stop. Hopefully, Omaha will adopt this type of system soon.
Greyhound Buses
Omaha's Greyhound Bus Station is located at 1601 Jackson Street in downtown Omaha (()). The station is open 24 hours a day.
Bus information is available at 402-341-1906 or 800-231-2222 (800-252-4841 for Disabled Assistance) or on their web site.
Navigator Airport Express
Omaha also has another transportation method in the bus department. Navigator Airport Express is a small bus line running from Kearney, Nebraska to Omaha and back again, with stops in Lincoln, York, Hastings, and Grand Island.
Navigator Airport Express Information is available at 800-888-9793 or on their web site (https://www.navigatorairportexpress.com/).
