Proposed KCATA bus route cuts would offset $30m budget shortfall
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) - The Kansas City Area Transportation Authority is trying to combat a funding shortfall after COVID funds have run out. The answer may be cutting bus routes, bus drivers and other contracted rideshare services.
In total, 13 routes that cut through the heart of Kansas City could be eliminated. KCATA distributed handouts that showed the routes and how many riders would be affected.
Anthony Cunningham, a bus advocate with Sunrise Movement KC, rides the bus every day for work, commuting from Midtown to North Kansas City. He also utilizes other routes to get to the grocery store and the library.
“The ramifications of these proposed service cuts will be extraordinarily felt, not just by people like me who choose to be car-free, but others who either can’t drive because of either physical impairments or they just simply can’t afford a car or any other transportation service,” Cunningham said. “(Riding the bus) has allowed me to pay off all my student loan debt – I had about $30,000 when I graduated from college.”
KCATA officials shared the following document with City Hall that shows a significant amount of money – around $30 million needs to be found to meet the total operating cost of service in Kansas City.
The amount of people that ride the bus took a significant dip during COVID, but that is also when fairs were eliminated in March of 2020. Numbers have continued to climb since then.
Besides possible cuts to bus drivers as well as cuts to the amount of buses that serve a particular route – rideshare services like IRIS through Z Trip could also receive cuts, potentially impacting 100 drivers.
Bakar Mohamed is one of those contractors with Z Trip. He drives a handicap accessible van. One of his riders is a woman who is wheelchair bound, and he takes her to college three times per week. He said he isn’t sure she’ll be able to continue going to school if the reduced fare he provides is eliminated.
“zTrip through the IRIS program is that source of income that my family depends on,” Mohamed said. “zTrip is bridging the gap that exists right now, and will exist… this is not something that should be taken lightly by the City Council.”
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