KSHB 41 reporter Charlie Keegan covers politics on both sides of the state line. If you have a story idea to share, you can send Charlie an email at charlie.keegan@kshb.com.
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The Kansas City Area Transportation Authority runs bus services across the Kansas City area.
It held a meeting Thursday to lay out possibilities for cutting routes and drivers should it not receive funding for its full operations.
“We need it. We need the bus,” said Robert Hardaman, who rides the bus everyday.
He doesn’t want to see the KCATA make cuts.
“My baby girl’s in the hospital," Hardaman said. "I can’t even get to Independence to go see her now. What am I supposed to do, catch a helicopter?”
The KCATA does not have a way of collecting revenue directly for itself. It gets money from contracts with cities where it provides bus service. State and federal governments also contribute to the KCATA’s budget.
This year, federal COVID relief funds ran dry. Many cities like Independence, Blue Springs, Raytown and others changed or cut their contracts, which reduced revenue.
The KCATA hasn’t collected fares from riders since 2021. In years past, fares provided between $8 and $9.6 million annually.
Kansas City, Missouri, is KCATA’s largest contract. It usually gives the KCATA around $70 million per year for transportation services. Most of that money comes from two different sales taxes the city collects specifically for transportation purposes.
This year, Kansas City has proposed giving KCATA about the same funding as last year. That’s not enough to fill a gap the KCATA is facing.
“It makes me kind of nervous, really nervous,” admitted bus rider Guy Taylor.
As KCATA faces reduced revenue, expenses are going up.
“A combination of a lot of different things. They’re paying their drivers more than they used to to be competitiv and attract and retain them. Other costs, fuel, and general expenses have increased as well,” Ron Achelpohl explained.
Achelpohl is the director of transportation and environment for the Mid-America Regional Council. The agency released a study in 2024 comparing KCATA to bus services in similarly-sized metropolitan areas.
He found the KCATA is efficient, has a significant ridership, even as it spends among the lowest amount of money per rider.
Some Kansas City council members would like the city to commit more funding to the KCATA this year than the city originally planned. The budget should be finalized in April.
KCATA will continue to weigh its options over the next several weeks.
