KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Big 12 Tournament is underway in Kansas City, Missouri and many visitors will likely travel around on the KC Streetcar.
The current streetcar line runs from City Market to Union Station. T-Mobile Center, the site of the Big 12 Tournament, is near the streetcar route.
Some tourists in town for the Big 12 are impressed with the transit option.
“It’s pretty exciting. It’s a pretty convenient thing and we look forward to it," Rhett Faaborg from Iowa said.
“Super friendly, easy to get around, hours are great," Deby Wright of Texas added.
The biggest attraction to the streetcar is that it's free. Kathy Nelson with the Kansas City Sports Commission said the streetcar is one selling point used to attract sporting events to KC.
“When we had the NFL draft here for a site visit before we were selected, we came to Union Station, put them on a streetcar," Nelson said. "We brought them back to Power & Light District just to show them the ease of how simple it is in our city to get to and from these areas and how quick it is."
Nelson said the streetcar and future transportation projects help Kansas City stay competitive.
"We know we’re a force and it’s because of things like the streetcar and our relationships with people like Union Station, Power & Light District, and all great venues we have, we certainly stand out of these things,” she said.
A new selling point will be the expansion of the line from Union Station to the University of Missouri - Kansas City. Work is expected to be complete by 2025.
“For our visitors that come in for Big 12 tournaments or other events, it expands their option on where they can go and explore Kansas City and they can do it all free," Donna Mandelbaum, a spokesperson with KC Streetcar, said.
Mandelbaum said average daily ridership peaked at 6,500. COVID-19 caused the numbers to dip, but they're expected to triple ridership by 2025.
