The Kansas City Area Transportation Authority will take over management of the JO in early 2015, the Johnson County Commissioners agreed Thursday.
Dick Jarrold, vice president of regional planning for KCATA, says the consolidation shouldn't impact riders because routes and schedules won't change.
"Johnson County will still be making all policy and budget decisions, so for the customer, they won't see an immediate change," says Jarrold.
The move is expected to save Johnson County at least $450,000 a year. Jarrold says KCATA is working closely with its staff to ensure Johnson County is only paying for services related to the JO.
Even though changes aren't coming because of the management consolidation, Jarrold says it could improvement connections between Johnson County Transit and KCATA in the future.
"We really think there are some real opportunities to look inter-jurisdictionally in terms of planning to and from Johnson County," he says.
