(Kansas City, Mo. – Oct. 20, 2015) The Kansas City Area Transportation Authority will hold several public meetings to discuss proposed service changes that would take effect in 2016. Changes would affect KCATA routes and Johnson County Transit routes.
Affected routes include:
15-Truman Road
35-35th Street
NEW: 40-Crossroads-Plaza
47-Broadway
51-Ward Parkway
101-State Avenue Connex
107-7th Street
109-9th Street
201-Downtown Airport
660-Antioch-Downtown
661-Olathe Xpress
664-Metcalf-Downtown
667-Nall-Downtown
670-Gardner-OP Xpress
672-JoCo-Downtown Midday
673-South OP Xpress
678-Shawnee Xpress
At the meetings, KCATA will offer details of the proposed changes, and provide an opportunity for customers to ask questions and comment on the changes. Draft schedules will be available for review and comment at the meetings, and at www.ridekc.org beginning Oct. 26. The following meeting times are intended to allow customers to review and comment on changes that affect them. It is not necessary to attend the entire meeting or to be at the short presentation in order to discuss the changes. Each meeting will focus on the changes occurring near the location of the meeting. However, KCATA staff will be available to answer questions on any of the other items.
Monday, Oct. 26, 11 a.m.-1 p.m., MainCor, 3215 Main St., Kansas City, Mo. (Short presentation at 11:30 a.m.) Focus: 35, 40, 51, and Stop Optimization.
Monday, Oct. 26, 5-7 p.m., Olathe Community Center, 1205 E. Kansas City Road, Olathe, Kan. Focus: Johnson County routes.
Wednesday, Oct. 28, 11 a.m.-1 p.m., University of Kansas Medical Center, Orr-Major Building, Room G004, 3901 Rainbow Blvd., Kansas City, Ks. (Short presentation at 11:30 a.m.) Focus: 107 extension.
Monday, Nov. 2, 11 a.m.-1 p.m. and 4-6 p.m., Kansas City Design Center, 1018 Baltimore Ave., Kansas City, Mo. (Short presentations at 11:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.) Focus: All proposed changes.
Customers may also submit comments by phone at 816-346-0300, by email at metro@kcata.org, or in writing to the Planning Department, KCATA, 1200 East 18th St., Kansas City, MO 64108.
Summary of service changes
Changes to KCATA service would be effective Sunday, Jan. 3, 2016.
Several routes will change according to the Downtown Service Improvement Plan that has been previously presented. The plan includes modifying routes in downtown along Grand Boulevard and 11th and 12th streets, forming Transit Emphasis Corridors (TEC) to simplify, accelerate, and improve downtown transit service. This will also make for easier connections between bus routes and streetcar service. This includes routes 15, 47, 51, 109. The Johnson County Transit routes would travel east on 12th, south on Grand, west on 27th, north on Main, and west on Pershing.
In response to community and customer requests, transit service will be added to Broadway in downtown and through the Crossroads, with a direct connection to the Plaza. This includes changes to 35, 51, 201 and a new route, 40.
A handful of routes will undergo stop optimization, the selective removal of bus stops. This will provide a smoother ride and help buses arrive on time. The biggest factor in removing a stop is low ridership at a specific stop. Other factors include safety, the location of nearby stops, availability of benches and shelters, and sidewalk and street conditions. This includes routes 15, 35, 51, 109.
101-State Avenue Connex will change to use current reroute on Wyandotte.
107-7th Street will add service to Mission Transit Center in Johnson County, Ks. These extended trips will operate every 60 minutes during rush hours, providing connections between Johnson County Transit service, KU Medical Center, and downtown Kansas City, Ks.