After more than five years of free buses in Kansas City, fares will return to RideKC.

After more than five years of free buses in Kansas City, fares will return to RideKC. Soon, most of the system’s 12.2 million riders each year will have to open their wallets to ride. This came after months of contract negotiations between KCATA and the City of Kansas City, with KCATA threatening to cut nearly half of its routes as costs rose without the city contributing more funding. In 2020, Kansas City became the first major metropolitan city in the U.S. to eliminate fares, earning recognition for Mayor Quinton Lucas and praise from former president Joe Biden. However, paying for the program has been a problem since the beginning. In 2024, The Star found that the city did not contribute the promised additional money from a transit tax to pay for free buses when funding related to COVID-19 ran out. Instead, officials used more than two years worth of free fares to install new LED streetlights. Budgeting for the bus fares will be finalized at the end of January. Read more at the link in our bio. 🎥: Alexa Stone/The Star (@lexmadee) & Eleanor Nash/The Star (@eleanorcnash)

By Kansas City Star

Published January 26, 2026

From the Local News community. Stay in the know about local news, business, history and more in the greater Kansas City area.

Posted in Local News. Stay in the know about local news, business, history and more in the greater Kansas City area.

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