KANSAS CITY, Mo. — With the popularity of its streetcar as a guide, Kansas City is considering the possibility of making all public transit free. It would be the first major U.S. city to do so.
The streetcar is free — paid for by a specialized tax district, alternative weekly The Pitch notes — and is well used. “I think what we know is, if you remove the fare, you remove a barrier to use, and more people are going to ride the system,” Tom Gerend, the executive director of the KC Streetcar Authority, told the paper.
And so the city is looking at making its bus system free, as well. Kansas City, Mo., mayor Quinton Lucas has said he favors the idea, and the CEO of the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority — which serves counties in both Missouri and Kansas — has already made bus transportation free for veterans and many students.
The transit agency would have to find a source for the $8 million in revenue that comes from fares; possibilities include redirecting some of the money raised by the streetcar’s tax district, additional funding from the city of Kansas City, Mo., public-private partnerships — and the proposed expansion of the streetcar line. That would both expand the area and revenue from the streetcar’s tax district, and allow the bus system to eliminate a line that would be served by the streetcar, saving $4 million a year.
