KSHB 41 reporter Abby Dodge covers consumer issues about personal budgeting and everyday spending. You can email her story ideas.
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K-10 Connector riders had fewer stops starting this week in the Lawrence area.
The K-10 Connector’s sole stop is at Lawrence's Central Station.
“The announcement just kind of threw us in a tizzy of, 'Oh my gosh, what are we going to do?'” said Lisa Greenwood. “How are we going to get our kids to school?”
Greenwood is a Lawrence resident with two children who attend Johnson County Community College and rely on the K-10 Connector to get to class.
Riders' main concerns are a lack of park-and-ride options and shortened service hours.
Central Station does not have a parking lot, which is a change from previous K-10 Connector stops like Peaslee Tech.
The move comes after the city of Lawrence pulled its partial funding of the route that runs from Johnson County to Lawrence.
The city chose not to contribute its usual annual funding of $155,000 in lieu of dedicating those funds to hyper-local transit.
“There’s a lot more need than there is money to go around,” said Lawrence Transit Director Adam Weigel. “All of us are trying to find the right ways to get the most out of what we have.”
Johnson County is the main source of funding for the K-10 Connector. The county also operates the route.
Johnson County Commission Chairperson Mike Kelly said lack of funding is a regional issue many leaders face in the metro.
“One of the adages that you will hear is that our region funds transit just enough to not make it work effectively,” Kelly said.
The county is currently working on its strategic plan for transit, which Josh Powers, the county’s transit director, expects to be finished by the end of the year.
“We really want to set the course for transit over the next five to 10 years,” Powers said. “And understand what is important to our county commission, our riders, the citizens and residents of Johnson County.”
You can view the Connector’s route here.
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