Elizabeth Orosco
Managing Editor

After gathering community feedback on public transit in Kansas City, RideKC has released a draft plan of the RideKC Next system redesign and is seeking community feedback. 

RideKC Next is in phase two of a three-phase project that will review every bus route in the system with the goal of ensuring that updates accurately reflect the needs, priorities, and values of the community.

Phase One of the project, which was completed last year, included gathering community feedback through surveys and outreach as well as reviewing existing transit service.

Phase Two includes sharing a draft plan and gathering additional community feedback.

Phase Three will be the review and approval of a plan by the KCATA Board of Commissioners and the implementation of the plan later in 2020.

The draft plan offers the same amount of RideKC transit service, but puts a higher priority on expanding ridership; includes more route frequency, seven days a week, to connect more people; offers a more efficient network; retains options for those who need transit the most. 

Why redesign the bus network? RideKC has identified four areas where the bus network was not matching the purpose and expectations of the community, including transit not providing enough access to opportunity, suburbanization makes it harder for transit to be useful, ridership has been declining, and needing to reach a long-term vision of fast and frequent transit. 

In a previous interview with Shawn Strate, planning manager with KCATA, he said the goal was to look at how to operate the system more efficiently and redistribute services to better serve people. 

“If we have a route that doesn’t have much ridership or doesn’t seem to have much opportunity for growth, maybe those resources need to be shifted to a different route.”

Currently, RideKC is asking the public to review the draft plan and offer feedback before the final draft is sent to the Board for approval. 
After reviewing public comments on the draft plan, KCATA may adjust the Final Plan and seek policy direction or final approval from the KCMO Mayor and City Council and plans to implement the Final Plan in the fall of 2020.

The survey is asking the public three key issues: ridership versus coverage, the purpose of coverage, and priorities of improvement. 

To view the full Draft Network Plan and to take the survey, visit RideKCNext.org by March 16, 2020.