Against a backdrop of proposed big route cutbacks in Kansas City and uncertainty over future federal funding, Johnson County commissioners are beginning to envision a future county transit system that serves a smaller area but with more frequent buses.
A consultant’s recommendations presented Thursday focused on setting a foundation of fixed route bus service, with more frequent stops along the popular corridors of the north and east parts of the county.
The idea is to encourage more ridership along key routes, which could in turn help the county expand service elsewhere in the future and make it more sustainable, according to a presentation by Andrea Ostrodka of Toole Design.
A video recording of the committee meeting can be found below. Discussion begins at 2:35.
Consultant: Buses on key routes should come more frequently
The county’s current fixed route service of seven local and four express routes is spread thin, with buses stopping only every hour, she said. In the high-level discussion Thursday, the consultant recommended more frequent stops to make the service more reliable and more popular.
The recommendations singled out five key corridors based on ridership, population and access to employers in the area, that the county should prioritize within its budget. They are the west-east 75th Street, 95th Street, 135th Street and the north-south Metcalf Avenue and Quivira Road corridors.
Services on these corridors should ideally have buses running from 15- to 30-minute frequency, according to the recommendation that looked to 2050.
County commissioners have been trying for years to find a way to provide reliable public transportation to the growing population that is within its budget. Over the years, routes have been added, expanded or curtailed and micro-transit on-demand service has been added and adjusted. The discussion Thursday was part of a series that will also look at fares, paratransit and branding.
The recommended foundational system focused on the following:
- Higher frequency bus travel along Metcalf Avenue with stops at 15- and 30-minute intervals. The current Metcalf to the Plaza line has the county’s highest ridership, with about a third of all fixed route riders, touching downtown Overland Park, Johnson County Community College, the Mission Transit Center and the Country Club Plaza in Kansas City, Missouri. Existing routes 401 and 404 would be combined and realigned for that purpose.
- A new express route at 15- and 30-minute intervals connecting the Mission Transit Center to the East Village Transit Center in Kansas City, Missouri.
- No changes to the following routes:
- Route 402, Johnson Drive to Quivira
- 403, Antioch Road to KU Med
- 487, 87th Street
- 495, 95th Street
- Realigning and slightly changing the frequency of Route 475 along 75th Street. The change would remove the Quivira portion of that route (that area would continue to be serviced by the 402 route) and increase the frequency from 70 minutes to 60 minutes, so the bus would arrive at the same time every hour. This route has the second highest ridership in the county.
- Increasing frequency on the 520 Strang Line Express from 90-minute intervals to 30-minute intervals during peak times. That line runs from the Strang Line Park-and-Ride in Olathe to downtown Kansas City, Missouri.
- Suspending the 563 Shawnee Express and the 569 South Overland Park Express. Those lines would be at least partly replaced by the new proposed Mission Transit Center to East Village express.
- No change to the Kansas Highway 10 connector to Lawrence.
Micro transit would only cover NEJC south to 119th
Micro transit, which works similarly to ride-sharing services like Uber but with larger vehicles, was also recommended for some changes, notably:
- Shrinking the current service area from 181 square miles to 80, and creating boundaries of the Wyandotte County line to the north, 119th Street to the south, State Line Road to the east, and Interstate 435 to the west. The proposed new service area would leave out western Shawnee, Lenexa, Overland Park south of 119th Street, much of Olathe, Gardner and Edgerton.
- Cut availability from seven days a week to five.
- Keep the service inside the county. Currently, trips are available outside of Johnson County.
Presenters, including county Transit Director Josh Powers, emphasized that the recommendations are intended to build on the existing strengths and could be expanded upon as ridership and the population grow.
For instance, the 75th Street and 95th Street routes, which touch Shawnee Mission East High School, the Waldo MAX bus connection and shopping centers in Lenexa and Oak Park Mall, would be logical next candidates for more frequent stops, the presenters said.
What your commissioners think
A majority of commissioners voted in support of the direction county staff is taking on the fixed route system. However, they raised some concerns.
Commissioner Shirley Allenbrand said she was unhappy with the fact that the bus services don’t reach into her southwest Johnson County district.
“I was hoping that when this came back my district wouldn’t be completely cut off,” she said, pointing out the quick growth due to Panasonic and other large plants that have moved into the area.
“It’s going to be a hard sell for me to go back to my community and say, ‘Oh, by the way, we’re cutting everything but there is no future.’ I’m not seeing that plan that could help me sell to our businesses a way to provide this service.”
Powers said these areas could be added later at the will of the commission, but past routes running that far out have not worked.
“I would not expect you to feel any other way than what you do, but our commitment is to work with you to find solutions,” Powers said.
Commissioner Julie Brewer, whose district includes the fast-growing Spring Hill area, had similar concerns.
“Spring Hill is growing by leaps and bounds, and there’s no connection (recommended) in 2050 for Spring Hill,” she said, adding that De Soto, Gardner and Spring Hill are areas that have seen more attainable housing options. “There’s a disconnect between where that housing is and attainable transportation solutions.”
Commissioners ultimately voted 6-1 to continue the planning direction, with Allenbrand the sole dissenter.
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