Bus fares will return to Kansas City. Here’s when and how much they’ll cost
After more than five years of free buses in Kansas City, fares will return to RideKC.
Soon, most of the system’s 12.2 million riders each year will have to open their pocketbooks to ride.
In August, the Kansas City Area Transit Authority voted to reinstate fares, in order to balance the agency’s budget while maintaining most bus lines.
This came after months of contract negotiations between KCATA and the City of Kansas City, with KCATA threatening to cut nearly half of its routes as costs rose without the city contributing more funding.
In 2020, Kansas City became the first major metropolitan city in the U.S. to eliminate fares, earning recognition for Mayor Quinton Lucas and praise from former president Joe Biden. Since 2020, similar programs have come to cities like Albuquerque and Iowa City. Recently, New York City mayor Zohran Mamdami won his seat after promising free buses.
However, paying for the program has been a problem since the beginning. In 2024, The Star found that the city did not contribute the promised additional money from a transit tax to pay for free buses when funding related to COVID-19 run out. Instead, officials used more than two years worth of free fares to install new LED streetlights.
KCATA estimates that charging bus fares for approximately six months in 2026 will bring the agency $5.2 million, before expenses. Operating expenses are budgeted to cost $95 million in 2026.
Details of the return to fares will be finalized in late January, when the KCATA awards a contract for a farebox provider, spokesperson Cindy Baker wrote in an email.
How much will it cost to ride the bus in Kansas City?
A single ride would cost $2 under the proposal, 50 cents more than 2019. Regular riders could purchase a $4 day pass, $20 weekly pass or $62.50 monthly pass, purchased with cash, credit cards, tap-to-pay or reloadable cards.
Riders will have to pay each time they board the bus, unlike in 2019 when there were free transfer passes. However, fares bought with the same payment method will be capped, so “a person would never have to pay more than they would have to for a daily, weekly, or monthly pass,” wrote Baker.
When will Kansas Citians start paying bus fares?
Fares will return in June, in time for Kansas City’s first World Cup game June 16. Officials initially hoped to have the system in place in April, but a plan to speed up the farebox purchasing process fell through, according to Baker.
Will there be free or reduced fares?
Some Kansas Citians will continue to ride the bus for free, but it’s not clear who.
“KCATA is in coordination with multiple social service providers, healthcare providers, employers, and educational entities on developing pass programs,” Baker wrote.
In 2019, 50% off fares were available for seniors 65 and older, youth 12-18 and people with disabilities. Baker said that the agency is planning a similar program.
Mayor Lucas told The Star in December that people using social services will be able to take the bus for free.
Why will the streetcar be free to ride, but the buses charge money?
Kansas City’s streetcar and bus systems are run by different organizations who get their money from different pools of taxes.
The streetcar’s operating budget comes from property and sales taxes of homes and businesses near the line. On the other hand, the bus’ operating costs mostly come from by Kansas City’s general fund and sales tax. Many area suburbs have pulled their funding of the transportation system in recent years.
