KCATA Angkut Penumpang Berbayar Mulai Juni Demi Keberlanjutan Transit

Otoritas Transportasi Area Kansas City (KCATA) dan RideKC mengumumkan penghentian layanan bus gratis yang telah berjalan selama beberapa tahun. Mulai Senin, 1 Juni 2026, pembayaran tarif regional bus akan kembali diberlakukan untuk menjaga keberlanjutan transit jangka panjang.

Sistem baru ini menetapkan biaya perjalanan tunggal sebesar $2, tiket harian $4, tiket mingguan $20, dan tiket bulanan $62,50. Operator bus tidak akan menerima uang tunai atau menjual tiket di atas armada, sehingga penumpang harus bersiap sebelum tanggal pemberlakuan.

Untuk membantu masyarakat, KCATA bermitra dengan United Way of Greater Kansas City guna menyediakan program tarif gratis dan potongan harga bagi warga berpenghasilan rendah, lansia, anak-anak, dan penyandang disabilitas.

Penasihat senior tim dampak komunitas United Way, Jim MacDonald, menyatakan posisi lembaganya sebagai penghubung antar-nonprofit akan mempermudah akses tiket gratis.

"Public transit is a lifeline for many low-income households," ujar Jim MacDonald, Penasihat Senior United Way. "It is their only option for getting to work, to a doctor's appointment or to the grocery store. There are nearly 50,000 households without a car, which means by definition that those households are reliant on other means of getting around. The top of that list is the bus system."

United Way akan menyediakan 20.000 tiket harian gratis untuk organisasi nonprofit yang mendaftar mulai 1 Juni 2026, serta potongan tarif 50 persen bagi yang memenuhi syarat melalui aplikasi RideKC Go atau pendaftaran langsung.

Direktur senior komunikasi United Way, Kera Mashek, menyampaikan bahwa transportasi merupakan salah satu layanan yang paling banyak diminta masyarakat melalui saluran bantuan 2-1-1 mereka.

"We work with community members, we work with nonprofits, we work with civic and governmental partners like this all the time to execute these kinds of programs," kata Kera Mashek, Direktur Senior Komunikasi United Way. "So we really are like that perfect entity to bring all of these pieces together, and we have processes like this in place for other programs that we run already."

Pihak penyelenggara memproyeksikan kebutuhan bantuan tiket gratis ini akan sangat besar pada tahun pertama pelaksanaannya.

"We anticipate that the need is going to be far greater than what we are going to have the capacity to respond to, especially when fares resume and we don't have nearly enough passes to accommodate what we know is going to be a lot of people who are needing assistance," tutur Kera Mashek.

"But we do hope that the programs are a starting point to hopefully bridge some of those gaps that we know will exist in the community," tambah Kera Mashek.

Meskipun tarif kembali berlaku, teknologi pembatasan tarif otomatis (fare capping) akan memastikan penumpang tidak membayar lebih dari batas maksimal harian, mingguan, atau bulanan yang ditentukan.

Pejabat strategi utama KCATA, Tyler Means, memperkirakan penyerahan manajemen program kepada United Way dapat menghemat anggaran operasional instansi hingga ratusan ribu dolar.

"It's great to build a partnership with a well-respected organization, and that they were interested in working with us," ungkap Tyler Means, Chief Strategy Officer KCATA. "I hope that we can use this to springboard to other relationships and opportunities, whether it be with private businesses or other public entities that want to be affiliated with the KCATA in helping us offer great transportation services in Kansas City."

Sebelumnya, Kansas City menggratiskan tarif bus sejak Maret 2020, namun terkendala perselisihan anggaran kota dan habisnya dana subsidi Covid-19.

Direktur Pelaksana Interim KCATA, Chuck Ferguson, menegaskan pentingnya langkah pengembalian tarif ini demi masa depan transportasi wilayah tersebut.

"Change is never easy," cetus Chuck Ferguson, Interim CEO KCATA. "however, this return to fare collection is essential to long-term transit sustainability. And when it comes down to it, it’s truly about helping people get where they need to go safely—whether that’s work, school, healthcare, or essential services—and building a stronger, more connected community in the process."

Masyarakat dapat membeli pilihan tiket menggunakan uang tunai dari jam 8 pagi hingga 5 sore mulai Selasa, 26 Mei 2026, di East Village Transit Center dan Markas Besar KCATA.