transportation

Hotel rooms, buses, and liquor laws are just a few of the problems that Kansas City will need to figure out in the next year, before the first World Cup games kick off at Arrowhead Stadium next June.

The group planning Kansas City’s matches hopes to build a regional transit network that gets residents and hundreds of thousands of visitors across the metro quickly and easily. They’ll need more money and regional cooperation to do so.

Some Kansas Citians on social media have criticized the way that the KCPD and Mayor Quinton Lucas responded to a march of masked white nationalists last weekend. In a wide-ranging conversation, Lucas defended his comments, as well as discussed the Royals' search for a new stadium, his recent trip to Qatar and fixing public transit.

Kansas City says it's completed 25% of an expanded, more targeted road repair program using digital tracking tools that it launched in 2021. But progress on potholes and cracks is hard to measure due the way the city logs data and the cyclical nature of road repairs.

Kansas City will fund its rideshare program for another month while city council determines a long-term transit solution, which may include bringing some bus services under city control.

Kansas City will end its rideshare service IRIS by the end of Wednesday, leaving more than 100 drivers without a job and hundreds of people with fewer transit options.

Some rural Missouri towns like Oak Grove don’t have control over their main streets because they happen to be state highways. When they attempt downtown revitalization projects like planting trees and improving walkability, the Missouri Department of Transportation can make things complicated.

Currently, it’s illegal to bring guns on public transit even with a concealed carry permit. Supporters of the bill say it would allow passengers to protect themselves and safeguard Second Amendment rights, but opponents say it will endanger passengers.

The ordinance passed by Kansas City Council this week, meant to prevent drastic service cuts and increase oversight, would bring back fares and could end the city’s rideshare service. But KCATA said service reductions are still necessary.

Kansas City will host the 2026 FIFA World Cup next summer, the smallest city in North America to join the festivities. Is the city equipped to handle the huge influx of tourists and their transportation and housing needs?

The six-month plan would fully fund the transit agency while it seeks funding from other places and demands more accountability from KCATA. It calls for reinstating fares and could end the city’s rideshare service IRIS, which was meant to fill transit gaps.

The Kansas City Council passed a $2.5 billion budget for the 2025-2026 fiscal year, its largest ever. The police department will get even more money than before, while council members will discuss a proposal next week to fully fund the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority in the short term.