KCATA Board of Commissioners Approves Expanded Night Service
The Kansas City Area Transportation Authority Board of Commissioners on Wednesday March 23, approved expanded late-night bus service connecting to the downtown streetcar and serving key employment centers and entertainment venues in Kansas City.
The new later service on Friday and Saturday nights will be available on three major KCATA routes: Main Street MAX, Troost MAX and the 47-Broadway. The service will be extended until 2 the following morning, giving riders roughly an extra four to five more roundtrips per route each day. Rather than diminishing or replacing the community’s desire for bus transit, KCATA has had requests for additional service as the start of streetcar service nears.
Expanded hours on Friday and Saturday nights are scheduled to start May 13, a week after the streetcar starts operating. The new late-night bus service will match the streetcar schedule, which also ends at 2 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.
The last Main Street MAX bus currently leaves downtown at 11:37 p.m. on Friday and 12:06 a.m. on Saturday. The last Troost MAX bus now leaves downtown at 11:42 p.m. on Friday and Saturday nights. The last Broadway bus leaves downtown at about 10:15 on Friday and Saturday nights. 47-Broadway Late Night will be shortened during the expanded late-night hours. The Broadway Late Night route will end at 47th Street. Late night service on Troost MAX travels to Troost & 75th Street. The Main Street MAX route travels to 75th & Wornall in Waldo.
Expanded night service will improve better access to jobs in the downtown area, the Westport entertainment district, Hospital Hill, the Crossroads area and the Country Club Plaza. It also will offer enhanced transit connections for out-of-town visitors and help riders easily transfer between buses and the streetcar. The streetcar also will stop operating at 2 a.m. on Friday and Saturday nights.
“This is a golden opportunity to make bus service more convenient than ever before,” said Robbie Makinen, chief executive officer and president of the KCATA.
“Our new service will help people get to work at odd hours when transportation can be hard to find. Plus, it will provide new ways of reaching entertainment hot spots at convenient times without the hassle of driving.” Makinen said. “This is just another example of how the KCATA is leading the way in finding new and innovative ways to make transit seamless and easy to use in the greater Kansas City region.”
