Kansas City Region Offering Free Bus Fares To Celebrate Downtown Streetcar Opening

(Kansas City, Mo. – May 2, 2016) The Kansas City region will join together offering free bus fares on Friday, May 6, in celebration of the historic opening of the new downtown Kansas City streetcar.

The streetcar will be free when it opens. And for one day, fares on all bus routes serving Kansas City, Johnson County, Wyandotte County and Independence will be free, too.

“We are so excited to be part of this watershed event for downtown Kansas City,” said Robbie Makinen, president and chief executive officer of the KCATA. “We hope our residents will use this opportunity to ride the bus and connect with the streetcar to get a taste of what a seamless, regional transit system might be like in the future.”

Kansas City is marking the opening of the new streetcar line with a grand opening celebration at 10 a.m. on Friday, May 6, to launch the inaugural streetcar ride.

There are more than three dozen bus routes connecting to the downtown streetcar from across the region. Popular routes linking to the streetcar include:

• Main Street MAX: Drops riders coming from Waldo, Brookside and the Country Club Plaza at Union Station where the streetcar route ends.
• Troost MAX: Riders disembark at 11th & Main, one block north of the streetcar.
• 24-Independence: Bus riders exiting at 10th & Main can reach the nearest streetcar stop a block away at 9th & Main.
• 71-Prospect: Brings riders from Kansas City’s east side to the 10th & Main Transit Center, a block south of the nearest streetcar stop at 9th & Main.
• Johnson County: Many routes stop near the downtown streetcar line at Union Station and 10th & Main, including 660-Antioch/Downtown, 661-Olathe Express, 664-Metcalf/Downtown, 670 Gardner/OP Express, 673-South OP Express and 678-Shawnee Express.
• 101-State Avenue: Lets riders from Kansas City, Ks., disembark at the 10th & Main Transit Center, a block south of the nearest streetcar stop at 9th & Main.
• 103-Fairfax: Bus riders connect to the streetcar at 3rd & Grand from the Fairfax district and downtown Kansas City, Ks.
• 142-North Oak: Northland bus riders can reach the streetcar route at its northern most stop at 3rd & Grand.

The bus stops for these routes are subject to detour the two days of the streetcar celebration. Check RideKC.org for details.

RideKC bus service shares an elevated boarding platform and real-time arrival signs with KC Streetcar at 19th & Main. Real-time arrival information is also displayed at the Union Station boarding platform.  Riders can board buses approximately 100 feet north of the streetcar platform at Union Station.