After years of budget concerns, route changes and experimental pilot programs, the Johnson County commission has approved a new long-range plan for public transit that plots out how a sustainable bus system should look now and in the future.
Commissioners capped off two years of work with public infrastructure consulting firm Toole Design last Thursday by unanimously approving what some commissioners said is the county’s first-ever strategic plan for bus, micro transit and paratransit services.
Some of the plan’s key recommendations include increasing the frequency of bus service along key routes, including Metcalf Avenue, as well as scaling back the geographic area covered by the ride-hailing microtransit service, which has seen a decline in users.
Other notable changes include an eventual reinstatement of fares for fixed bus routes — part of a broader return to fares in public transit across the Kansas City region — and a rebranding of Johnson County public transit to “Ride JoCo.”
The plan’s executive summary lays out what it calls a “25-year roadmap” for public transit in car-centric suburbia.
“[The plan] defines a long-term vision for transit in the County, identifies immediate and phased improvements, and establishes a foundation for a sustainable growth of the transit system,” the summary says.
Take a closer look at the strategic plan here.
A few of the recommended changes that would reduce costs will take effect in January. Other changes that would increase bus frequency or add routes will wait until at least August 1 and possibly longer as the metro recovers from the expected influx of tourists for the World Cup next year, said Josh Powers, county transit director.
As for fares, there’s no firm date yet on when they will return or what exactly they will be. Powers said the fare discussion will be worked out regionally.
“It’s important to note what a really monumental step this is for the residents of Johnson County and the taxpayers of Johnson County,” said Commissioner Janeé Hanzlick, adding that the strategic plan is a first in her memory. “It’s been a long time coming.”
Separately, a temporary shuttle bus connecting Lenexa and Overland Park to Kansas City International Airport is not a part of the strategic plan.
That shuttle is expected to begin March 1, 2026, to serve tourism during the World Cup next summer, and will run daily through next November.
Two express bus routes will be cut under new plan
Commissions past and present have struggled with the fiscal health of the transit system in a historically car-centric suburban county. The COVID pandemic further complicated things, as remote work became more popular, drastically reducing ridership.
The county commission worked with Toole Design to find a plan that would keep bus service available to Johnson Countians who depend on it, while also staying within the county’s budget.
The aim was to find a starting point that would be successful enough to build on for future county growth.
The new transit plan generally focuses on providing more frequent service to the more densely populated northeastern corner of the county.
Johnson County’s service currently runs four express routes and seven local fixed routes. The first route adjustments to take place in January will be the ending of two of the express routes: the 563 Shawnee Express and the 569 South Overland Park Express.
According to transit figures, the change in commuter preferences has hit express routes particularly hard.
For instance, ridership decreased 63% on express routes running to downtown Kansas City between 2019 and 2024. It also declined on the express K-10 Connector to Lawrence, but only by 25% during that time. The Lawrence express route will continue to be offered under the new strategic plan.
Microtransit service will be scaled back geographically
Micro transit, in which customers can set up and pay for a pooled ride via their phone, much like an Uber, is also changing on January 1.
Riders will see microtransit’s service area cut back to just south of the Interstate 435 loop, Powers said.
The current microtransit territory extends as far south as Edgerton.
Microtransit operation hours will also change from seven days a week to five.
The service saw a significant drop in usage last year because of a fee increase. The number of trips dropped from 10,400 per month in 2023 to 2,600 a month in 2024.
Aim is to increase frequency of buses on fewer routes
The transit plan also creates a “foundational” system of routes that would cover less area but increase the frequency, Powers said.
That would include 15- and 30-minute interval stops along Metcalf Avenue, the route that sees the county’s highest ridership.
Other routes would also be realigned and standardized so that there is no more than one hour between buses, he told the commission.
The plan also includes a new express route from the Mission Transit Center to the East Village Transit Center in Kansas City, Missouri. They will also prompt eventual changes in the way the ADA paratransit service is delivered.
Those fixed route changes were originally planned for August 1 but may need to be moved back because of the crush of work involved in World Cup planning, Powers said.
'This plan is dynamic'
Commissioners expressed their support for the plan.
Commissioner Michael Ashcraft, who is often a skeptic of “big box” buses, said it was the first realistic look at how to maintain a transit system that has often been thinly stretched.
Commissioner Shirley Allenbrand said that although she is disappointed the express service to her district will end, she sees continued growth there as an opportunity for partnerships with businesses that could bring transit back.
Chair Mike Kelly also mentioned partnerships, saying he’ll continue to look for ways to team with businesses.
“This plan is dynamic,” he said. “This is not going to sit on the shelf or in a computer file.”
Kelly continued, “I think our efforts this summer are a great first step of innovation that can improve the lives of everybody in Johnson County, whether they ride the bus or not.”
This story was originally published by the Johnson County Post.
