KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The KC Streetcar loves Big 12 weekend.
“The Big 12 tournament timeframe for Kansas City Streetcar ridership is generally one of our biggest bumps of the year — 31,000 trips to 45,000 passenger trips in four days, which is insane," said Donna Mandelbaum, communications director for the KC Streetcar.
The last few years during the tournament, ridership has looked like this:
- 2017 | March 23-26: 33,132
- 2018 | March 7-10: 31,009
- 2019 | March 13-16: 41,693
In 2020, the tournament was halted along with ridership due to the beginnings of COVID-19 shutdowns, marking a new time for the streetcar.
“During this pandemic, some of our entire months have only seen 45,000 passenger trips," Mandelbaum said.
Despite the challenges that came with COVID-19, two extensions have been approved and funded. The streetcar will go north all the way to the Berkley Riverfront and south to the University of Missouri-Kansas City.
"Both have secured federal funding and we have our local funding as well in place, so we are just ready to extend this and connect more of Kansas City,” Mandelbaum told 41 Action News.
This championship weekend, the Kansas City Streetcar Authority wants you to know "masks are still required to ride on the streetcar, as well as at the streetcar stops. Social distancing is also encouraged. There’s hand sanitizer on board every streetcar.”
Barring another global pandemic, it's safe to say the KC Streetcar is on the track for the future of Kansas City.
—
