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As Kansas City gears up for the 2026 World Cup, some residents are concerned that the metro’s public transit system can’t keep up with a rapidly growing city. KCATA CEO Frank White III speaks about how the transportation authority is preparing.

The KCATA says Kansas City, Missouri, residents will no longer subsidize the costs to run buses through the surrounding suburbs. That's meant a dramatic increase in costs to individual cities — pushing many municipalities like Gladstone and Liberty to cancel their bus service entirely.

The city’s new on-demand transit service, IRIS, will now serve riders across the entire metro — with the intention of filling in the gaps of existing bus routes. The expansion is happening at the same time that KCATA hikes the cost of providing bus service to surrounding municipalities, causing concerns about accessibility.

Kansas City was once home to a robust streetcar system. Then, the arrival of the car caused it, along with most other American cities, to plan cityscapes for automobiles. As Kansas City works on extending its solo streetcar line, one transit historian says it's time for cities like ours to give residents significantly more options.

How early should you arrive to the airport? What’s the quickest way to pick up a traveler? Will Kansas City ever get a light rail to the airport? Here's a guide to some of the questions that remain, a month after KCI opened its new $1.5 billion single terminal.

While it's free to ride the bus in Kansas City, only 13% of low-income households are near a transit system. KCATA says it's working to hire drivers and expand routes.

Robbie Makinen, who's led the agency since 2016, reportedly resisted a "money grab" by top Kansas City officials who sought millions in federal pandemic recovery funds awarded to the KCATA in order to pay for new streetlights.

With passengers riding buses along 57 routes with 3,500 stops in Kansas City, Missouri, "not a day goes by without some sort of incident." District road supervisors like Ken Lewis are in charge of everyone's safety.

Before becoming dependent on the automobile, Kansas City was once known for its expansive public transit system. At one point, it had one of the largest cable car networks in the country.

Despite sometimes confusing route changes, long wait times and other minor inconveniences, some Kansas Citians use public transit because they want to. But even more of the city might fall under the category of "aspirational transit users."

Kansas City's need for more robust, user-friendly transit has been a major talking point for years. But the city was built for cars, and getting around using anything other than a personal automobile requires a special kind of effort.

Despite long wait times between buses, confusing route changes and other inconveniences, these Kansas Citians use public transit not because they have to, but because they want to. Here's why that matters.