It’s been a difficult week for the reintroduction of bus fares around Kansas City.
The Kansas City Area Transportation Authority and Johnson County Transit began charging people to ride the bus on Monday, June 1, after six years of zero-fare. But multiple issues have plagued the first few days, like malfunctioning fare machines and lingering confusion over how to pay.
Riders can pay fares on-board buses using a tap-to-pay system, or purchase passes on the RideKCGO Mobile App and in person at select locations. The KCATA tested its system multiple times before it went live Monday.
But the transit agency said a severe thunderstorm Sunday night, which took out power to thousands of homes around the metro, damaged one of the servers at its headquarters. The servers are responsible for activating and updating the on-board validator system. That meant about one-third of the agency’s fleet of buses weren’t able to take fares on the first day.
AJ Farris, the KCATA’s director of planning and scheduling, said the outages caused extra confusion and frustration among riders.
“We know that this has been a difficult transition for both the operators, and of course, the public to make as well,” Farris said. “It was confusing that people would board a bus and the validator would be active, and so they were expected to pay, and then maybe the next bus they boarded, the validator was not active, and so they were not expected to pay.”
Farris said the KCATA has been getting buses back online throughout the week, making it possible to validate fares. Farris said about 70 buses had malfunctioning validators Monday. By Thursday morning, that was down to 20 buses.
In general, Farris said the agency will expect riders to pay if the validators are up and working. If a rider gets on a bus where the validator is not active, the person is not required to pay because the issue is the fault of the KCATA.
Problems paying
Malfunctioning machines weren’t the only cause of confusion for bus riders.
“Nobody really knows where to get the bus passes,” said Christopher Clay-Freeman, who was waiting at the Troost and 39th Street stop Monday. “What do you do if you ain't got a phone? It's kind of become a little tedious, because not all the buses come on time either. With them adding fare it makes it more complicated.”
In the weeks leading up to June 1, the KCATA held in-person workshops and an online webinar, stationed transit ambassadors at bus stops, sent emails, published newsletters and social media posts, placed signs at stops, and had drivers make on-board announcements to inform riders about paying fares.
Still, Farris said the agency knew it wouldn’t be able to reach every passenger. The KCATA has instructed drivers to enforce a three-week grace period for riders who cannot or do not know how to pay.
Learn more about how to pay fares and where to get free or reduced bus passes.
Rita Pollack tried to get a reduced-fare pass on Monday, but wasn’t able to meet with a representative.
“I was going to get my bus pass, truthfully, and the person in charge wasn’t there this morning,” Pollack said. “It seems like everyone I needed to see was in a meeting.”
Still, despite the challenges, the bus agency has made more than $100,000 in its first four days of charging fares. Farris said hundreds of people have purchased passes each day at the East Village Transit Center, KCATA headquarters and the Wyandotte County Parks & Recreation building.
According to initial data, the KCATA sold more than 13,500 total passes by Thursday, including those purchased online through the app and in person. Farris said many other riders have purchased fare by tapping their credit or debit card on board vehicles.
What’s next
Farris said the KCATA has not seen a significant decline in ridership during the first week of fares. Moving forward, he said the agency is working to fix the remaining bus’ validators and ensure they don’t get knocked offline again.
Then, the bus agency will focus toward the second phase of fare introduction, which is expected to happen after October this year.
During the second phase, riders will be able to purchase fare cards in person at more locations, like libraries, grocery stores and pharmacies. The KCATA expects to also have a more durable smart card that will have a person’s information on it.
In the meantime, the KCATA said it will continue to educate riders about how to buy passes and pay fares. Farris said he expects the technology to be fixed within days and for the majority of riders to understand how to pay within the next few weeks.
“I think we're lucky that Kansas City has some incredibly kind, patient people,” Farris said. “People have been understanding of the hiccups that have happened, and overall I believe things are going well.”
