kcata

A patchwork of counties and cities huddled around the confluence of the Kansas and Missouri rivers makes it harder to develop affordable, efficient public transit in the Kansas City region. Transit funding decisions get handled within each jurisdiction, with little or no coordination between them, and the KCATA has no power to levy taxes.

The Kansas-Missouri border splits Kansas City, and divides the metro region more evenly, and sometimes problematically, than any American metro region cut in two by a state line.

Contract drivers for IRIS operate Kansas City’s low-cost, city-subsidized rideshare app. They want the right to unionize and negotiate higher pay, benefits and safety measures on the job.

Kansas City's buses will remain free to ride after City Council renewed its annual contract with the Transportation Authority. The agency still faces a $26 million budget shortfall, threatening bus service for future years unless something changes.

Kansas City Council renewed its annual contract with the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority, which keeps zero-fare in place but directs City Manager Brian Platt to weigh the costs and benefits of an alternative "functional free fare" program.

The new, draft contract between the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority and the city contains vague language that suggests the transit agency would limit zero fare to riders who meet certain criteria. The program has been in place since 2020.

A study by the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority and the Mid-America Regional Council has recommended two new express bus routes — one in Johnson County and one in Kansas City, Missouri — to get people to and from the airport ahead of the FIFA World Cup in 2026.

Toll boxes may soon be revamped on all RideKC buses if the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority reinstates fares to address a multi-million-dollar budget shortage. That would especially hurt the low-income residents who rely on free buses most, and could lead to a drop in ridership.

COVID-19 relief dollars covered most of the budget gap from the zero-fare program — and they’ll all be spent by 2025. That means the transit agency will have to find additional revenue to cover the difference.

Federal grants are helping researchers at the University of Missouri-Kansas City study whether keeping city buses free is sustainable. In collaboration with University Health, they'll also study the health impact on riders.

On-demand, point-to-point rides are being offered in Kansas City and St. Louis as a way around fixed bus routes and schedules. In rural communities, microtransit is often touted as a tool to get people to work and essential appointments. But reviews of the programs are so far mixed.

After three years of free-to-ride public buses, the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority is thinking about charging fares again. Plus: Large areas of Missouri and Kansas are without primary care doctors, but many hope that medical students just starting their careers will help remedy that.