Bus riders in Kansas City will once again pay fares starting June 1. And officials have promised a “functionally free” fare model that will allow low-income riders and people receiving aid from social service agencies to continue to ride for free.
Under the new model, United Way of Greater Kansas City will partner with the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority to provide those free and discounted passes.
Jim McDonald, the senior adviser of United Way’s community impact team, has been working on the free fare partnership for months. He said United Way’s position as a connector between nonprofits will help people more easily access free fare passes.
“Public transit is a lifeline for many low-income households,” McDonald said. “It is their only option for getting to work, to a doctor's appointment or to the grocery store. There are nearly 50,000 households without a car, which means by definition that those households are reliant on other means of getting around. The top of that list is the bus system.”
Clink on these links to find out more about the free and reduced fare system.
- Who is eligible for reduced fare?
- How do I apply for reduced fare?
- How can I get free fares?
- How can I learn more?
Beginning June 1, United Way will give 20,000 single-day bus passes to nonprofits that sign up. Passes will be available on a first-come, first-served basis. There are no restrictions on who receives the passes, so long as they receive services from a partner nonprofit.
The KCATA will also offer a reduced fare of 50% through United Way. Eligible people must apply through United Way and download the RideKC Go app. For those unable to apply online, riders can fill out an application at KCATA’s East Village Transit Center or the KCATA headquarters.
Kera Mashek, the senior director of communications for United Way, said transportation is one of the top services United Way is asked for help with through its 2-1-1 hotline, which people can call for social services. She said the services United Way already provides makes it easy for the organization to run the free and reduced fare program.
“We work with community members, we work with nonprofits, we work with civic and governmental partners like this all the time to execute these kinds of programs,” Mashek said. “So we really are like that perfect entity to bring all of these pieces together, and we have processes like this in place for other programs that we run already.”
Kansas City was the first major city in the country to eliminate bus fares in 2020. Doing so attracted new riders to the system and increased ridership to 12 million. But the KCATA and the city struggled over who should pay for zero-fare service, and drivers argued that the policy led to increased harassment.
Eventually, COVID funds that were used to subsidize free fares ran out, and zero-fare service ended during the city council and KCATA’s budget disputes last year.
The KCATA approved a $2 fare model in January. But a plan for free fares wasn’t announced until months later. That left many riders and providers at nonprofits in the dark about what to do when fares returned.
Tyler Means, chief strategy officer for the KCATA, said the agency began conversations with United Way in the spring. Means estimated that having United Way run the program as an intermediary will save the KCATA hundreds of thousands of dollars that it would’ve had to spend on staff and resources that the nonprofit already has.
“It's great to build a partnership with a well-respected organization, and that they were interested in working with us,” Means said. “I hope that we can use this to springboard to other relationships and opportunities, whether it be with private businesses or other public entities that want to be affiliated with the KCATA in helping us offer great transportation services in Kansas City.”
The KCATA is hosting workshops to help people understand the new fare system and access free and reduced fare services. When fares return June 1, the KCATA plans to allow a grace period of about three weeks for people who cannot pay or do not understand the system.
In the fall, the agencies will introduce more free fare passes that nonprofits can give to their clients. United Way will have 5,000 12-month fare passes and another 5,000 3-month fare passes available that are meant for people requiring long-term transportation.
Mashek said she hopes the passes are a starting point to introduce people to the free and reduced fare system and maintain their access to the bus. Mashek said the agencies will use the first year of the program to analyze the scale of need for free fare and grow the program in future years.
“We anticipate that the need is going to be far greater than what we are going to have the capacity to respond to, especially when fares resume and we don't have nearly enough passes to accommodate what we know is going to be a lot of people who are needing assistance,” Mashek said. “But we do hope that the programs are a starting point to hopefully bridge some of those gaps that we know will exist in the community.”
Who is eligible for reduced fare:
- Children ages 6-18 (children under 6 are free)
- Adults over the age of 65
- Low-income people receiving assistance through SNAP, WIC, TANF, Medicaid, LIHEAP/LIEAP and federal housing subsidy programs
- Medicare cardholders
- People with disabilities who are enrolled in SSI, SSDI or VA compensation
- People who receive Ride KC freedom paratransit services
How to apply for reduced fare:
- Download the Ride KC Go app and create an account
- Apply through KCATA’s website or United Way’s website
- Visit the KCATA East Village Transit Center or the KCATA headquarters to apply in person
How to get free fare:
- Inquire with United Way or the KCATA to see which nonprofit partners are providing passes.
- There are no strict eligibility requirements for the free fare cards. Nonprofits that are a part of the program can hand them out at their discretion.
What about the public information meetings?
All public outreach meetings will take place at the East Village Transit Center at 700 E 12th Street.
- Tuesday, May 26: 8 a.m. to noon
- Thursday, May 28: 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.
- Saturday, May 30: 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
