There is much to criticize about the RideKC public transportation system, but the price of a ride hasn’t been a grievance since March 2020 when Kansas City buses went zero fare.
However, it has recently come to a vote on whether or not RideKC will continue to operate fare-free due to funds for the program drying up.
The funding for the zero-fare program came from surplus city funding that was otherwise unused during lockdowns, but the program was never supposed to rely solely on COVID-19 funds.
So what was originally intended to support the program? That’s where the issue arises.
In an article by The Kansas City Star, the head of the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority (KCATA) board, Bridgette Williams, went on record to state that “we’re operating in a vacuum based on information none of us have.”
With the exception of one member, the entire KCATA board has been replaced by new members. The people currently sitting on the board are completely different from the members who were on the board when the zero-fare policy passed. To make matters worse, the one board member who was there doesn’t remember where the funding was supposed to come from.
Another issue is that the funding initially put towards the program hasn’t only been used to support free bus rides.
The Kansas City Star also found that Kansas City diverted $22 million from the budget for the program to replace street lights – something that should have been covered by the budget given to Kansas City’s Public Utilities department.
Perhaps the biggest concern is that Kansas Citians are unhappy with the public transportation system even when it’s free.
“If it were worth buying, the price hike would be justified,” said UMKC junior Connor Athearn.
Some believe that bringing back the fare would be reasonable because free bus rides are not the norm in most cities, but shouldn’t we strive for progress wherever the opportunity arises?
The action of eliminating fares was so forward-thinking that, in addition to city leaders, President Biden commended the move by saying, “We didn’t become this nation by thinking small. We’ve always thought big.”
So, on the brink of changing the status quo for the better, what do we do? We try to make things bad again.
If the board of KCATA doesn’t remember their plan, I think maybe it’s time for them to do their jobs and create a proposition to replace it. More important though, is that the board should take accountability for the fact that there was a breakdown in the communication chain.
One of the responsibilities of being replaced in a position of power is to communicate with your successor to ensure the success of your ongoing projects.
Not only does this highlight a need for better communication, but it also emphasizes a need for more transparency in the process of decision-making. If we, as citizens of Kansas City, knew the plan, we could ensure it stays on track.
But, those in power seem to think that our voice in the matter isn’t as important as we do. Because of that, there is only one thing we can do –talk to our representatives.
The mayor appoints three of the five board members, pulled from six nominees from the Clay and Platte County commissioners.
Reach out to those who appoint the board and demand more transparency so we don’t lose more of the things that make Kansas City great.
