Key Points:
- The KCMO Council approved stop gap funding that could delay new fare implementation for 60 to 90 days
- New fares aren’t set but could be $2 with planes to implement a cashless system.
- Functionally free fares are proposed that will exempt certain groups.
- Route frequency will be cut.
In 2020, Kansas City became the first major U.S. city to offer universal free bus service, but after five years, zero-fare is ending.
The Kansas City Council voted unanimously April 3 to approve Ordinance 250247, a stopgap measure to fund the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority (KCATA) for six months. The funding comes with the caveat that KCATA look into a number of ways to generate revenue including searching for grant money and reinstating fares.
The KCATA will come back to the council with full details in the coming weeks, but initial plans include a $2 fare per trip starting in 60-90 days. The KCATA will reinstall fare boxes and transition to a new cashless electronic payment system that could take up to a year and cost about $3 million, though the agency expects to use grant money for the conversion.
The city council expects a new “functionally free” fare model will exempt low-income residents, veterans, students, and people receiving social service assistance. No-cost rides will still be available for those eligible residents through various methods, including swiping a “fountain card” city ID.
“We want everyone who needs to ride the bus to be able to do that, but it needs to be in a way that is comfortable and safe for everyone,” said Third District Councilwoman Melissa Robinson.
Robinson pushed strongly for the city to establish a clear plan for future funding beyond the stopgap six months, but the full council wanted to see progress from the KCATA before committing.
“Bus service is critical for our residents,” said Robinson. “To be left to chance, I think, puts us in a very challenging place.”
Service Cuts Despite Funding
The ordinance provides $46.7 million to KCATA through October, preventing the agency from cutting 13 of its 29 routes and laying off more than 170 workers. However, the plan will still reduce service frequency and hours.
Buses will run from 5 a.m. to 11 p.m. instead of 3:30 a.m. to 1 a.m. The Main Max, Troost Max, Prospect Max and #24 routes will run every 15-20 minutes during peak hours and every 30 minutes at other times. All other routes will come just once per hour.
Councilmember Melissa Patterson Hazley expressed frustration that service reductions are happening despite the council’s direction.
“We’ve already directed them not to make those changes,” said Patterson Hazley. “I don’t understand… I mean, we just said, ‘Don’t do it.’ And they did it.”
Transit Activists Apply Pressure
The council’s action followed months of pressure from transit advocates. Council chambers were packed for the decisive meeting, and more than 85 individuals and organizations submitted testimony urging amendments to preserve zero-fare and prevent service reductions.
“I use the bus lines to socialize with friends, get to doctor’s appointments, volunteer in the community, and even get groceries,” said rider Fray Patton in public testimony. “This ordinance would make things increasingly worse for people who just want to live in the KC Metro and don’t have access to a car.”
Sunrise Movement KC, which organized demonstrations alongside the Amalgamated Transit Union and Stand Up KC, criticized the reinstatement of fares while acknowledging activists success in preventing deeper cuts.
“This did not happen because the council made transit a priority,” the group said in a statement after the vote. “This happened because thousands of people came out to defend a critical public service while our leaders were asleep at the wheel.”
Years of Financial Problems
The funding crisis stems from longstanding financial issues at KCATA. According to the ordinance, the city has “repeatedly stepped in to cover KCATA’s budget shortfalls” while the agency’s “efforts to control costs and/or increase revenues have been unsuccessful.”
Mayor Quinton Lucas has been critical of KCATA’s governance structure.
“The KCATA challenge, in my opinion, isn’t actually a pure budget thing, but the governance and management type thing,” Lucas said in a radio interview.
Lucas reiterated this concern during council discussions, emphasizing the need for KCATA to show progress before additional funding. Councilman Darrell Curls echoed this sentiment.
“I don’t think anybody on this council wants to defund the bus or not fund the bus to the extent that we cut routes or that we eliminate any jobs,” Curls said. “But… I don’t think that this city can continue to fund the bus service for eternity, and so that’s why a reasonable plan or regional aspect has to be looked at.”
IRIS Rideshare Program at Risk
The future of IRIS, the city’s rideshare service that costs about $7.6 million annually, remains uncertain. The ordinance directs KCATA to evaluate the program for potential cost savings or elimination.
Six-Month Timeline and Enhanced Oversight
The funding runs through October 31. During this period, KCATA must submit to regular audits, present every two month progress reports to the city council, and develop a strategic plan that addresses service coverage and frequency.
The ordinance also requires KCATA to improve its financial structure and seek additional funding from regional partners, including requesting at least $6.8 million from Missouri state government, $2.5 million from Kansas state government, and $11 million from the federal government.
“The goal of this ordinance is to ensure accountability, right sizing and streamlining processes so that we can create a regional solution that other jurisdictions in this region also want to partner in,” said Mayor Pro Tem Ryana Parks-Shaw. “Because we know it’s not sustainable as it is today.”
Gee, city officials didn’t see this coming when they started free buses in KC? Articles states KC has an ordinance demanding $6.8 million from Missouri state government, $2.5 million from Kansas state government, and $11 million from the federal government to keep public transit going in the city.
Leftys love freebies paid by others.
Please. The people who own the lions share of the private sector benefit the most from the roads, airports, power plants and other infrastructure paid for by our taxes, while our laws both minimize their tax burden and help them get around it, all by means not available to the rest of us