Johnson County looks to cut bus routes, grow microtransit. But not all officials agree
Johnson County leaders are looking to reduce bus routes with low ridership and expand other parts of the public transportation system — including the Uber-like microtransit system, which officials say has been growing in popularity each month.
But some worry the plan will cause more harm than good, eliminating a transportation option for some elderly and disabled residents, as well as low-wage workers. They have concerns that the county isn’t doing enough to build a more robust, effective transportation system to better serve the burgeoning Kansas City suburbs.
“I urge you to not cut these routes until you have a plan in mind to assist all of the individuals whose bus routes you would be removing,” Sheila Styron, a visually impaired Kansas City resident, told the board of commissioners at their Jan. 30 meeting. “These people cannot afford Ubers. They cannot afford taxis. If you don’t have something in place to serve them, I urge you to please keep the bus routes until you do.”
Many county officials said that it would be more cost effective to eliminate or reduce some underused bus routes. The county would then reinvest those dollars into routes with larger numbers of riders, plus continue testing the year-old ride-hailing microtransit service.
Johnson County and the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority have been studying the transportation system since 2018. This past year, county officials sent multiple iterations of a plan outlining changes back to the drawing board.
Johnson County Business Liaison Josh Powers said staff has identified the routes with the lowest ridership that could be eliminated, as well as routes that could benefit from the addition of more daily trips. The latest plan includes changes, reductions or eliminations to six fixed routes.
Overall, fixed-route bus services would be cut by 10%.
Last month, the board voted 5-2 to begin a 30-day public comment period, allowing residents and stakeholders to comment on the plan before any action is taken. Residents can comment until mid-March.
Johnson County commissioners Janeé Hanzlick and Becky Fast voted against opening the public comment period, saying the county was headed in the wrong direction with its transit system. They recommended starting a longer-term strategic planning process to explore what the transportation system should look like in the coming decades.
“Immediately as I look at the recommendations, there are some I think I would agree with and others I have questions about,” Chairman Ed Eilert said. “This is not a commitment to this recommendation in full, but I do think this gives us an opportunity to collect more information and make judgments later on.”
In the meantime, county leaders said they are closely watching Kansas City as it studies free fixed-route public transportation in the city.
Expanding microtransit
Assistant County Manager Joe Connor said staff is working to find the right balance between keeping fixed bus routes and implementing the microtransit service in other parts of the county.
In December, he presented a plan that would save the county $1 million by eliminating or cutting routes. That money would be used to expand other routes and the microtransit service, with $200,000 of that going toward marketing.
Johnson County paid $500,000 to pilot the microtransit program, which allows users to summon a ride for $1.50 in a small passenger van via a smartphone app. Powers said the service has exceeded expectations, averaging 3,000 rides each month.
Officials said the service is filling in the gaps in Johnson County’s public transportation system — dropping riders off at bus stops or elsewhere in the service area. That area is bounded by Shawnee Mission Parkway, Renner Road, 119th Street and Metcalf Avenue. Service extends east to State Line Road on Saturdays. It’s available from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. every day but Sunday.
As part of the plan, county leaders have proposed adding more vans and expanding the service area boundaries from Shawnee Mission Parkway north to the county line, then southwest to Olathe. In December, officials said they were targeting the areas with the most vulnerable populations.
They also hope expanding microtransit will encourage more young workers and families to turn to public transportation, which some argue could help reduce traffic congestion.
“The reason I’ve advocated more for the microtransit ... is to find out where people are and where they want to get to, and then start shifting back into a way where fixed routes would be more appropriate,” Commissioner Steven Klika said last month. “Is using microtransit the best way to do it? I don’t know. But we’ve tried so many different things, I think we have to keep looking at what our citizens in Johnson County want.”
But Fast and Hanzlick warned against relying too heavily on microtransit while doing away with traditional fixed bus routes. County leaders agree microtransit is more expensive — costing the county $18 per ride — and is also less reliable, because hailing a ride depends on the availability of the vans.
“We need to talk about the cost of microtransit. The county subsidizes 90% of that. With fixed-route, we subsidize 50% because we get federal and state funds,” Fast said. “As more people use microtransit, it’s going to skyrocket. This is going to be a very expensive service.”
Officials are considering raising the microtransit fare to $2 per ride.
Proposed bus route changes
The county is proposing the elimination or reduction of several bus routes, including routes that head to the industrial park in Edgerton and to the Prairiefire development in Overland Park.
Here are the proposed changes:
▪ 401 Metcalf-Plaza: The route, with around 244 daily riders, would be modified. Service to Prairiefire, at 137th Street and Nall Avenue, would be discontinued. Instead, the route would alternate between Johnson County Community College and Rosana Square. Officials said the change allows for the addition of midday and evening service to the college. Plus, trips will be added to extend the peak travel times in the morning and evening.
▪ 402 Johnson-Quivira: The route, with fewer than 70 riders each day, would be eliminated.
▪ 403 Antioch-Olathe: The number of trips operating on the route would be reduced. The portion of the route in downtown Kansas City would be modified to serve the new East Village Transit Center at 12th and Charlotte streets. Direct service to Crown Center and Union Station would be discontinued.
▪ 475 Quivira-75th Street: The route would be extended to 75th Street and Prospect Avenue, to serve the new Alphapointe Transit Center in Kansas City and connect to Prospect MAX. Trips would be added to the route to achieve a consistent schedule of 30-minute intervals during peak hours. Service to the University of Kansas Edwards Campus would be discontinued.
▪ 495 95th Street: The route would be eliminated due to lower ridership and redundancies with other services.
▪ 595 Gardner-OP Express: Service to Edgerton and Logistics Park Kansas City would be discontinued due to low ridership.
Future of public transit is murky
Despite county leaders having a proposed plan in place, the future of public transportation in Johnson County remains unclear.
Many have emphasized the need for the county to be as cost-effective as possible. Eilert said he will be watching what actions are taken by the state legislature this session, especially as the county struggles with declining sales tax revenue and a looming threat to property taxes.
“Those are larger questions that need to be considered in the entirety of this process,” Eilert said.
But Fast and Hanzlick argued the county should be doing more to grow ridership on routes, to increase the return on investment. They say that creating a more effective transportation system would help the county meet the needs of its growing population, making public transportation an integral part of Johnson County’s future.
“I personally think this is the completely wrong way to go about improving our transit system, by continuing to cut and change. We’re disrupting people’s lives,” Hanzlick said at the Jan. 30 board meeting. “We need a system that’s consistent and reliable.”
Fast said the plan will eliminate routes for people who take 30,000 rides each year. She worries that will leave them without a way to make it to work, the grocery store or health care services.
“Retail workers that get off at 5:05 p.m., I see them every day at Walmart. They sit and stand in the cold until 6 o’clock. And if they get off after 7, there’s no transit,” Fast said. “Our transit system doesn’t meet the growing number of jobs that are $15 an hour jobs in our county. I think that’s very concerning.”
Hanzlick and Fast asked to table the discussion until there could be a broader conversation about how to improve the public transit system. But board members went ahead with opening the public comment period on the proposed plan.
The county board will gather public input over the next month. It likely would not vote on any changes to bus services until this spring, Powers said.
