INDEPENDENCE, Mo. — Independence believes its new IndeBus schedule will save the city $81,000.
Starting Sept. 3, Independence will modify a handful of bus routes, which are part of the RideKC network but operate independently, because of low ridership and financial constraints.
City Manager Zach Walker said the city looked closely at all of the bus routes and found it was costing the city more money to operate certain routes than it was bringing in from riders.
"The most that we would ever charge someone to get on the bus is $1.50, but on average it's costing us over $5 per rider to provide this service," Walker said.
On top of that, the City was shelling out more than $8 on some routes that even fewer people were using.
The new schedule affects three routes during weekdays and all six routes on Saturdays.
The yellow/orange, red and green routes will start one hour later weekday mornings.
- Yellow/Orange — 7:35 a.m. to 7 p.m.
- Red — 8:05 a.m. to 7 p.m.
- Green — 8:05 a.m. to 7 p.m.
All six routes will be reduced by three hours Saturdays. Trips start two hours later in the morning and end one hour earlier in the evening.
- Green — 11:05 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- Blue — 10:35 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- Purple — 10:35 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- Yellow — 10:35 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- Orange — 10:35 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- Red — 11:05 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Kansas City, Kansas, resident James McClain rides the bus to Independence once a month. He supports the city's decision to get rid of or reduce routes that aren't used very often.
"I think they should really," he said. "I mean, if we're not gonna use the route then we should have something changed around about it."
Avid rider Robert Denton worried the change will take away a resource for some folks.
"People have to go to work on Saturdays," he said. "I don't know how they're going to do that."
Walker said the change allows the city to make sure buses are running more efficiently in the places they are used.
"By modifying these routes, it is a reduction of about 1,700 hours annually, but we're looking at this more as a service enhancement," he said. "We're taking the bus to the places where people are using it."
