KCATA announces more cuts to RideKC bus services due to COVID-19-related staffing issues
The Kansas City Area Transportation Authority announced that it will once again have to make temporary cuts to the RideKC bus service due to COVID-19 related staff shortages.
The KCATA said that beginning Monday it would discontinue bus service on four routes: 9 9th Street, 15 Truman Road, 55 Universities-Crossroads and 233 Vivion-Anitoch.
“The sole reason is that it’s due to the staffing shortages that we’re experiencing,” said Cindy Baker, chief external affairs officer for the KCATA. “And it’s not so much that our operators are positive for COVID themselves, but that just exposure and then having to quarantine, the numbers are beginning to tax our available resources.”
The transit agency currently has 32 employees quarantined, Baker said. Since the pandemic began, 32 of its 750 employees have tested positive for the coronavirus, which includes workers who had no public contact. Currently, the agency has 11 active positive cases.
The discontinuation of the routes comes just weeks after the KCATA began urging riders to make only essential trips because of the impact of the increasing community spread of COVID-19. The KCATA recommends transit riders only make trips for such things as groceries, physical and mental health needs and to work essential jobs including hospital, medical, grocery, food service and essential production positions.
At the time, the transit agency said it had to temporarily roll back transit services because of higher than normal absenteeism among its workforce.
As part of that announcement, nine routes were temporarily discontinued on Nov. 23:
▪ 23 23rd Street
▪ 29 Blue Ridge Limited
▪ 51 Ward Parkway
▪ 234 Boardwalk-Antioch
▪ 297 Tiffany Springs Flex
▪ 340 TMC-Lakewood
▪ 535 Liberty-Shoal Creek Express
▪ 570 Blue Springs Express
▪ 571 71 Highway Express
The 529 KCI Express Limited began operating a reduced schedule, effective Monday, Nov. 23. Northbound trips now start at 5:07 a.m., 6:07 a.m., 11:37 a.m., 3:54 p.m., and 4:24 p.m. Southbound trips start at 5:56 a.m., 6:56 a.m., 12:26 p.m., 3:30 p.m., and 5:00 p.m.
RidekC has the following COVID guidelines:
▪ Face coverings are required for riders and bus operators.
▪ Fares are suspended on all bus and paratransit services other than 199 Micro Transit and 499 Micro Transit.
▪ Social distancing is required on buses.
▪ Riders should board and exit buses at the back door unless they have a disability that requires the ramp or kneeling feature, available at the front of the bus.
For more information about COVID updates and transit, see RideKC.org/bulletins/covid.
