Problems with Kansas City’s bus system are not because of money, Mayor Lucas says
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How can RideKC better serve bus riders?
Kansas City’s public transportation system has celebrated free fares and electric buses. But many riders say they still have a problem with infrequent and unreliable service. What can be done?
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Mayor Quinton Lucas says that issues with Kansas City’s bus system are not a result of lack of investment.
In a series of tweets Wednesday, Mayor Lucas suggests that money is not the primary reason for infrequent and sometimes unreliable service by RideKC.
“KCATA has received an increase in federal support in the tens of millions of dollars in recent years and strong support from Kansas City taxpayers,” Lucas tweeted.
The tweets came after The Star published an in-depth story on the Kansas City metro’s bus system, highlighting problems like long wait times and cuts to service.
Officials at the Kansas City Area Transit Authority say that they would love to add more frequent bus service, but they don’t have enough bus drivers or funding, especially compared to other, similarly sized cities. After reducing service during the pandemic, RideKC has not fully restored it yet. The agency launched a hiring campaign in August 2021 and is working to hire 70 more bus drivers.
The agency has also said it can’t justify expanding routes without more riders.
“If we had an unlimited budget, I think we would do more to beef up the service in anticipation of people using it,” said KCATA Vice President Richard Jarrold. “With our budget, we have to be prudent with where we put those resources to get the best bang for our buck.”
In a previous interview with The Star, Lucas challenged the idea that money is RideKC’s biggest problem.
“It’s not so much just a budgeting issue, which is something people in government or government adjacent always say, it’s an implementation issue,” he said.
In March 2021, the KCATA board of commissioners approved the total allocation of more than $35 million in Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act money. The board also approved over $50 million in CARES funding in 2020.
Both allocations, plus $66 million in American Rescue Act dollars, are set to help offset costs for the region until 2023.
Lucas previously stated that issues with delivering quality service are because of problems with the Kansas City Area Transit authority, not policies.
“KCATA is not delivering services at the level we would expect right now,” Lucas told The Star.
“They need to actually more fundamentally ensure that they are delivering the basic services, as in good frequency, reliable pickup, good paying for their workers and operators at a level that they should be doing so.”
Mayor Lucas also mentioned that other major priorities for the city include acquiring enhanced electric buses, making sure there are enough union operators trained on how to drive the electric buses and increasing reliability of basic service and rapid bus routes within the city.
“Political will always supports good operations, including reliable service delivery and competitive compensation and benefits for drivers to maintain our routes,” Lucas tweeted.
To address these concerns, Lucas pointed to the KCATA board, the governing body of the regional transit authority. The mayor of Kansas City appoints several members of the board, and Lucas said he takes great value in making sure that board members reflect the interests of Kansas Citians.
“We abhor where, as here, such items fall short, which we will continue to work to address with the KCATA board,” Lucas said in a tweet.
This story was originally published June 15, 2022 at 11:32 AM.
