Kansas
Kansas City will lose nearly half its bus routes under transit agency's drastic cost-cutting plan
The Kansas City Area Transportation Authority is bracing for drastic cuts to service if Kansas City passes its proposed budget, according to documents obtained by KCUR.
To maintain the current status quo for its Kansas City operations — which already includes long wait times and the fewest bus routes the agency’s had in decades — the KCATA needs about $117 million. The city plans to give the agency $71 million in its 2025-2026 budget.
Without any more funding, KCATA will cut 13 of its 29 routes in Kansas City, Missouri. Those cuts would affect more than 6,500 people, about 18% of the city’s total weekday ridership.
Anthony Cunningham is a leader with Sunrise Movement KC, a climate activist organization that’s been pushing the city to increase funding for KCATA for years. Cunningham relies on the bus and says fewer and less frequent routes will make it harder for him and other riders to get to work, school, the grocery store and doctor’s appointments.
“These proposed cuts to our bus and paratransit services are excessive, and are a slap in the face to poor and working-class Kansas Citians who rely on these services every single day,” Cunningham said.
The agency will also stop service at 11 p.m. instead of 1 a.m., and will only operate seven routes on the weekends, about a third of what it currently operates on weekends. The agency will also run fewer buses on its remaining 16 routes, leaving riders waiting even longer.
The proposed route cuts are:
- #9, 9th Street
- #11, Northeast Westside
- #19, Crossroads
- #21, Cleveland Antioch
- #23, 23rd Street
- #25, Troost Local
- #27, 27th Street
- #28, Blue Ridge
- #29, Blue Ridge Limited
- #57, Wornall
- #63, 63rd Street
- #71, Prospect Local
- #75, 75th Street
Savannah Hawley-Bates
/
KCUR 89.3
The agency would lay off about 28% of its total workforce, or about 171 staff members. That includes 130 drivers as well as maintenance and administrative staff. It would also reduce quarterly attendance bonuses and overtime bonuses.
The agency’s plan assumes the city will cut the on-demand transit service IRIS, which costs the KCATA about $7.6 million. But the city council has not yet introduced cutting the rideshare program.
Reginald Townsend, chair of KCATA’s board, said that the agency is committed to working with local, state and federal partners to secure more funding.
“Our focus remains on providing safe, efficient, and accessible transportation options that support the economic vitality and mobility needs of our communities,” Townsend said. “While ridership remains strong, we recognize the need to make strategic adjustments to right-size the agency.”
Nic Miller is president of the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1287, the union that represents KCATA’s bus drivers. He said his members are angry and terrified because they don’t know what will happen to their jobs.
“It’s very hard for me, as a president, not to have the answers,” Miller said. “It’s hard for the company not to have the answers when all the answers rely upon the city. So now everyone’s just kind of left in limbo.”
Kansas City has not decreased its funding to KCATA in the past few years, but operational costs have risen drastically since 2021 due to inflation and increases in wages, security costs, marketing and paratransit. The agency’s total operating cost went from about $84 million in 2021 to $113 million last year.
If the KCATA’s costs this year mirror last year’s, its funding will fall $28 million shy of expenses, a gap that it covered last year with a sales tax reserve and federal COVID relief funds. But KCATA expects that it will need about $117 million to maintain the status quo of bus service due to rising costs, making the real funding gap about $32 million.
Other U.S. transit agencies are facing similar financial crises. In 2024, the Mid-America Regional Council released a study comparing Kansas City’s bus system to 10 peer cities and four aspirational cities, like Minneapolis and Denver. It found that KCATA had the second-lowest operating expense per passenger trip, while still ranking as the second-most productive agency.
Carlos Moreno
/
KCUR 89.3
Kansas City Council members discussed the funding gap with KCATA CEO Frank White III at a business session last week. Melissa Robinson, 3rd district councilmember, said many of her constituents use public transportation to get to work. She said she worries that if bus lines get cut, economic mobility will decrease and crime will increase because of poverty.
“If we’re wanting to be real about crime prevention, real about homicide prevention, real about helping people to achieve their economic potential, we should not be cutting their lifeline,” Robinson said.
“I implore us to give our KCATA the same opportunities that we give our men and women in blue, our firefighters. We give them what they need in order to do their jobs. Transit is no different.”
Johnathan Duncan, Crispin Rea, Eric Bunch, and Darrell Curls also spoke against cutting bus lines.
Many of the people who attended each of the city’s three public listening sessions called bus funding a top priority, and urged city council to increase funding for KCATA. The city is set to approve the budget at the next council meeting on March 20.
Council members Rea and Bunch introduced a budget amendment to redirect $2 million from the Public Mass Transportation tax that was meant for LED streetlights to the KCATA.
That money could be enough to save the #25, #27 or #71, each of which cost about $2 million to run. But unless the city council amends the budget to provide more money to KCATA, most of the service cuts would still be necessary.
Savannah Hawley-Bates
/
KCUR 89.3
Kansas City gives nearly all of the 3/8th-cent KCATA sales tax to the transit agency. But about 15 years ago, it began decreasing the amount it gives the agency from its half-cent public mass transportation tax.
In this year’s proposed budget, only about two-thirds of the tax, or about $30.4 million, will go to the KCATA, with the remainder going to traffic safety and infrastructure.
At the business session, Mayor Pro Tem Ryana Parks-Shaw told White she still has “heartache” from route cuts the KCATA made several years ago that affected her district, the 5th, but didn’t seem to save any money in the long run.
“Kansas City taxpayers just continue to add to an inefficient program,” Parks-Shaw said. “Before we even put a bus on the street, we pay $19 million (in administrative costs) off the top. And that’s the piece that is unsustainable.”
White said the agency is considering introducing a “functionally free” fare model, instead of the zero fare model it’s currently using. Under the new system, only those who could afford to pay fares would.
He said that could give KCATA about $10-13 million in revenue, but it would take the agency more than a year to implement.
In the past few years, Independence, Blue Springs, Gladstone, Raytown, Liberty, Parkville and Riverside have cut their funding to the agency. White told city council he was working to bring those municipalities back on the system. Without their funding, Kansas City bears the brunt of the agency’s $19 million in administrative costs.
White said the KCATA is working toward becoming more of a regional transportation authority, as it was created to be, and is seeking more funding from Missouri and Kansas.
“It’s a crisis created by the city,” said Miller, the transit union president. “I believe that the city just wants to privatize the company. KCATA has pretty much exhausted all of its funds. The only thing that they can really start to look at now is reducing service, which is what the city wants them to do.”
The KCATA will hold two public meetings about the proposed cuts. The first will be Thursday from 5-7 p.m. at the East Village Transit Center at 12th and Charlotte Streets. A virtual meeting will be held Friday from 12-1 p.m. over Zoom.
The Tacoma Defiance continued a weekend of Seattle vs Kansas soccer with a draw against Sporting Kansas City II. The Sporting second team has not been immune to the struggles in Kansas City, as they have started the season with six points through 9 games and a -15 goal difference. With a Defiance starting lineup featuring six players on first-team contracts, taking home three points should have been the expectation.
The first half was eerily similar to Saturday with Defiance dominating the run of play but entering the locker room with a 1-1 draw. They conceded the opening goal in the 40th minute where Charlie Gaffney and Cody Baker did not organize themselves well to cover the cross from the left side. That cross found an unmarked Shane Donovan who was able to score off a header to the near post, past academy goalkeeper Noah Newman in his first start of 2026.
Five minutes later, Baker equalized with a golazo from 25 yards out that was ripped into the upper right corner. This shot came off a clearance but the sequence right before was representative of how dangerous the left side of the team was. Peter Kingston found a cross-field ball to Sebastian Gomez, his combination play with Codey Phoenix and ability to create space on the dribble led to the cross.
The second half was more evenly played throughout but ended the same as the first with a goal apiece. The Defiance first-teamers came through in the 57th minute when Gomez received the ball on the left touchline, dribbled and centered for Osaze De Rosario. He made a nice move around the defender and slotted the ball in the corner from the top of the box.
SKC II scored in the 63rd minute on a corner after the initial ball wasn’t cleared. It bounced around before landing to previous goal scorer Donovan whose shot was on target but got a slight touch from Tega Ikoba.
With regulation ending in a draw, the teams went to a PK shootout where Defiance won 4–2 after Newman made two saves. Edson Carli converted the winning spot kick.
Overview
Lineup
Stats
xG
Shots
Key performers
Sebastian Gomez
Gomez is making the left winger position his own, consistently being a dangerous outlet and getting an assist in his second straight game. His dribbling and passing ability make him a creative machine out wide and he is finding dangerous passes forward illustrated by his four key passes on the evening. He also finds the pass before the pass, like in the 46th minute when he finds a little through ball from top of the box to Tsukanome on the right side of the box. This led to a dangerous cross to De Rosario but was really kickstarted by Gomez. He has grown throughout the year thus far and looks to be hitting a strong run of form.
Peter Kingston
Kingston returned to the double-pivot in this one and showed why this is probably his best position moving forward. He set the tempo for the team, keeping possession with 86% passing on 58 attempts. However, he also knew when to take the chance and had two key passes of his own. His best pass of the evening was in the 11th minute when he broke two lines on a through ball to Mark O’Neill. His versatility is a key factor in getting as many minutes as he has with the first team but performances like tonight make the case on where he should be long term.
Osaze De Rosario
De Rosario got a run out a day earlier with the first team and followed that up with a start for Defiance. He wasn’t quite as involved as is ideal with only 3 total shots but he was also in the right positions and close to finishing in the 2nd and 46th minute. He did ultimately find the back of the net in the 57th minute after receiving the ball at the top of the box, beating his defender to open up space and placing his shot in the corner. The longer run out and seeing the ball hit the back of the net will hopefully get him some rhythm for his next appearance at the first team.
Highlights
Replay
The Kansas basketball program has made several notable additions since the transfer portal opened, landing three newcomers to round out the starting five. More importantly, the Jayhawks were able to secure top-ranked 2026 prospect Tyran Stokes, one of the most talented high school recruits Bill Self has ever acquired.
It has been an eventful offseason for the coaching staff, but its work in the portal is not done yet. KU still has four scholarships to fill out and will need to use one or two to add impact players off the bench.
Even if KU doesn’t land another starting-caliber transfer, it will need significantly more help on the second unit, especially in the backcourt. These are three players the Jayhawks have been in contact with and are considered strong options for the team next year.
3. James White (New Orleans)
A former Ole Miss, UAB, and New Orleans guard, James White has endured a tumultuous collegiate career, but averaged 19.2 points and 7.0 rebounds at his last stop. He is a 6-foot-5 wing who can get downhill with ease and would provide instant offense on the second unit.
White has become somewhat of a forgotten name since being involved in a sports gambling investigation two seasons ago, but he is reportedly drawing interest from top programs like Kansas and has likely been cleared by the NCAA. If KU is willing to take a chance on his controversial background, White would be an excellent rim-running guard for the staff to pursue.
2. Vyctorius Miller (Oklahoma State)
Miller took a visit to Kansas last month and hasn’t been closely linked to the program since. However, he remains one of the Jayhawks’ top targets as they look to add another bench piece.
The former Oklahoma State guard averaged 10.8 points and 2.7 rebounds in 32 games (26 starts) for the Cowboys this past season. If he is willing to take on a smaller role at KU, he could help replace the departures of Elmarko Jackson and Jamari McDowell in the backcourt.
1. Abdi Bashir Jr. (Kansas State)
Bashir Jr. completed a Zoom call with the KU coaching staff last week and has been on the radar of Jayhawk fans since. His skill set would fit perfectly as a sixth man off KU’s bench.
After playing two years at Monmouth, where he earned All-CAA honors as a sophomore, Bashir transferred to Kansas State for his junior campaign. He averaged 13.2 points, 2.3 assists, and 2.2 rebounds while shooting 44.4% from 3-point range on 8.4 attempts per game.
It has been a while since the Jayhawks have had a 3-point shooter as prolific as Bashir. The rest of his game, including his defense, may be a question mark, but Kansas could desperately use a flamethrower who can swing a game instantly with his outside shooting.
Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow
Mason Cook got thrust into a bullpen role last Friday against Kansas State. He delivered 4.2 after a shortened start to help Kansas take game one against its in-state rival.
On Saturday, Cook returned to the weekend rotation with a bang to help the Jayhawks clinch the series against Arizona with a 7-2 win. The right-hander delivered a quality start, tossing six innings of one-run ball with seven strikeouts. Cook has bounced between starting and providing bulk innings in relief but hasn’t shifted his mentality based on his role.
“Let’s just get guys out. It’s that simple,” Cook said postgame. “No matter what spot you’re in, it doesn’t really like change or anything. Just go in there, first pitch strike, and get guys out.”
Cook’s start backed up Dominic Voegele’s 15-strikeout complete game in Friday night’s win. After seeing Voegele’s start, Cook gained confidence that he could have a strong start of his own.
“I kind of joked with him after the game, was like, ‘I tried to go nine, man’” Cook said. “There’s so much momentum about [it]. Like it just boosts your confidence. He can do it, I mean he’s a great pitcher. Anybody can do it.”
The Jayhawks’ lineup backed Cook up, breaking things open with a four-run fourth. Kansas tallied four straight extra-base hits, capped by a two-run homer from Josh Dykhoff to give Kansas a 5-2 lead.
“Hitting is just contagious,” Dykhoff said. “It’s just that energy kind of throughout the dugout. And then you get those guys in there, like a lot of swings in a row too… Just something that seems to happen to us honestly.”
Kansas wins seventh straight series behind strong start from Cook
The win over Arizona clinched Kansas’ seventh straight series win. The Jayhawks have won nine and a row and will aim for their fifth Big 12 sweep on Sunday. Kansas has also yet to lose a conference game at Hoglund Ballpark, holding a 16-2 overall home record.
“I’ve said it a million times, they’re the best student section in college baseball,” Dan Fitzgerald said. “They show up every day, and they’re a huge energy source for us. And I think this is a team, like I’ve said a trillion times, they just love being together.”
The Kansas bats backed Cook early, putting runners on 2nd and 3rd with one out via a Jordan Bach single and Tyson LeBlanc double. Brady Ballinger cashed in on a shallow fly to right field. Bach tested the arm of Caleb Danzeisen, sliding in safely to give the Jayhawks a 1-0 lead.
Cook continued to make quick work of the Arizona bats. The Wildcats got their first two baserunners in the next two innings, but Cook strung together zeros. The right-hander tallied seven strikeouts through four frames.
Kansas opened things up against Patrick Morris in the bottom of the fourth. The Jayhawks tallied four consecutive extra-base hits, with Tyson Owens and Augusto Mungarrieta trading RBI doubles. Josh Dykhoff followed with a two-run laser to give the Jayhawks a 5-1 lead before recording an out.
The Wildcats reached scoring position for the second time all game in the fifth. Carson McEntire blooped a single to left to put runners on the corners with two outs. Cook delivered again, inducing a groundout to put up another zero.
Andrew Cain and Tony Lira tallied consecutive singles to open the sixth, putting runners on the corners. The Wildcats got on the board, but Cook limited the damage to one run as he induced a double play.
Jayhawks add runs late, clinch series win
Cook gave way to Toby Scheidt and Riane Ritter, who each tallied scoreless innings. Arizona matched with three scoreless innings, but the Jayhawks broke out of their slumber in the eighth.
The first three batters of the inning reached, and Cade Baldridge brought home a run on a fielder’s choice. LeBlanc laid a bunt down the third-base line for an RBI infield single to give Kansas a 7-1 lead heading into the ninth.
Manning West took the mound to start the ninth, but he allowed a walk and run-scoring double. Boede Rahe prevented things from getting out of hand, striking out all three Wildcats to clinch the series win.
-
Michigan3 minutes agoTrump’s retribution? What to watch in Tuesday’s elections in Indiana, Ohio and Michigan
-
Massachusetts9 minutes agoMassachusetts rowing in the middle of the pack at Eastern Sprints
-
Minnesota15 minutes agoWhat are the fastest growing suburbs in the Twin Cities?
-
Mississippi21 minutes agoMississippi Lottery Mississippi Match 5, Cash 3 results for May 4, 2026
-
Missouri27 minutes ago
Missouri Lottery Powerball, Pick 3 winning numbers for May 4, 2026
-
Montana33 minutes agoJacobsen touts record in race for western U.S. House seat
-
Nebraska39 minutes agoHuebner for Nebraska – Ad from 2026-05-05
-
Nevada45 minutes agoBrewing Better Health: How data shapes public health