kcata

About 75% of Kansas City bus stops don't have anywhere to sit while you wait, and the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority keeps removing benches despite complaints from riders. Sunrise Movement KC is taking things into their own hands, but their makeshift seats may be removed as quickly as they're assembled.

Kansas City has been in the national news a lot lately, including one surprising place: stories about the New York City mayoral election. Many national news outlets, most of them conservative-leaning, have zeroed in on candidate Zohran Mamdani’s proposals for free bus fare and government-run grocery stores, and they’re using Kansas City as a negative example of both.

Kansas City ended free bus fares and saw a grocery store shutter. Both issues showed up in the New York City mayoral race, where conservative outlets used the city's policies to attack leading candidate Zohran Mamdani.

RideKC is discontinuing the popular Main Max bus line to avoid duplicating service with the KC Streetcar’s Main Street extension. A new route will take riders further south to 75th Street, while other bus lines undergo changes to connect riders to streetcar stops.

A new poll from the Kansas City Regional Transit Alliance found that voters in four counties across the metro would support a regional sales tax dedicated to bus service, even as soon as next year.

Kansas City Area Transportation Authority CEO Frank White III believes that funding for the agency is "more complicated than it ought to be." His vision for the KCATA is to "try to go regional" with its funding structure, in order to better serve the entire metro.

Kansas City and the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority finalized a contract last week after months of fraught negotiations, avoiding a possible shutdown of bus service. But the contract brings back fares for most riders.

Kansas City hoped the downtown space would be one of the primary "focal points" during World Cup festivities next June, but the project won't be ready in time. Kansas City Manager Mario Vasquez joined KCUR's Up To Date to discuss how preparations are going, the new bus contract between the city and the KCATA, and more.

Kansas City and the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority finalized a contract today, after months of fraught negotiations. The city’s bus service will continue without any cuts, but fares will be reinstated.

Much of south Kansas City, Missouri, and its neighborhoods north of the Missouri River are transit deserts. City council members who represent those areas are focused on improving transit. But without more regional funding, it’ll be a struggle just to keep the few bus lines that already exist.

Bridgette Williams, who represents Wyandotte County on the KCATA Board of Commissioners, remains hopeful that a deal will be made soon with Kansas City, Missouri. The transit agency needs a contract soon to secure funding and prevent bus service cuts.

RideKC buses are each already equipped with four interior and four exterior cameras. New AI-powered cameras are being installed to detect possible security threats and automatically alert authorities.