RideKC Route 11 within Historic Northeast. | Photo by Dorri Partain

Carter Galloway

Editorial Assistant

On Thursday, March 6, the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority (KCATA) announced in its service bulletin that it would hold two public meetings March 13 and 14 to discuss proposed service changes for its RideKC program. Of the potential routes, which could be impacted by these changes includes the discontinuation of Route 11 — one of the main bus routes that runs through the Historic Northeast. 

These service changes are a result of the growing cost of public transportation, combined with the depletion of federal pandemic funds provided during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to KCATA. The reinstatement of bus fares has been proposed as a possible avenue to raise additional funds, which could be up to $10 million per year. A countywide sales tax has also been pitched for additional funding.

Route 11, or Northeast-Westside, runs from North Cambridge Avenue and East Front Street all the way to the University of Kansas Medical Center. The main route covers stops all along St. John Avenue, with a short layover downtown at the Tenth and Main Transit Plaza. The average weekday ridership of this route is 1,376 — making it the second largest route cut proposed by the KCATA.

Other routes proposed to be cut are number 9 (Ninth Street), an east-west route that connects riders from 12th and Winchester to the West Bottoms, and number 21 (Cleveland-Antioch), a north-south connector that runs from 75th and Gregory Boulevard to Vivion and Antioch roads, with a stop at St. John Avenue and Belmont Boulevard.

Route 24, which provides service along Independence Avenue, may also be affected by the number of runs and hours of operation.

KCATA Planning and Scheduling Manager AJ Farris said in a Zoom meeting on Friday, March 14 that these service changes “represent the worst case scenario” and KCATA still hopes to receive additional funding. If this scenario comes into fruition, Farris shared changes would go into effect May 4, 2025.

If bus fares are reinstated, it could take eight to 12 months for them to be fully implemented. These changes are currently only proposals and have not been approved at this time. 

KCATA’s MAX bus system was introduced as fare-free in 2019 and the entire system followed in 2020. Equipment to collect fares was removed and would need reinstallment or a new system to collect fares introduced.

The proposed list of route discontinuations are still subject to change. KCATA has invited feedback and can be reached at 816-346-0300 or  planning@kcata.org.  For additional information on these service changes, visit: ridekc.org.