If you’ve been riding the bus more than before, you aren’t alone.
According to the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority (KCATA), Metro ridership rose almost ten percent in the past two years, with 2012 ridership exceeding 16 million trips.
“Kansas City is seeing a growing tide of transit ridership,” said KCATA General Manager Mark Huffer in a press release. “The community’s appetite for more transportation options is helping to drive dialogue about how transit should evolve and grow in the region.”
KCATA says there are several reasons for the increased ridership:
- It made changes in the Main St. MAX, Troost MAX and most other midtown routes last year. (see previous post for details)
- The number of people riding The Metro to seek jobs has gone down, while the number of people riding The Metro to work has risen.
- In 2012, students could use their valid UMKC student ID to ride Metro and MAX service. UMKC students were making more than 1,000 trips every weekday. The majority of these were on the Troost MAX Green Line and the Main St. MAX Orange Line.
- High gas prices in 2012 may have increased ridership.
- The Metro hosted several how-to-ride clinics during the spring to educate new riders. Prospective customers learned how to plan a trip, how to pay a fare or use a pass, and how to get on and off a bus. People also learned about online tools, such as Google Trip Planner and WebWatch, a real-time bus tracker.
More information about riding the bus
Regional Call Center (816) 221-0660. The center’s hours are 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. weekdays.
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