Starting June 1, people in the Kansas City metro area will have to pay to ride the bus after six years of free rides.
Kansas City was the first major city in the country to eliminate fares in 2020. The free service attracted new riders and increased overall use of the system, even as other transit agencies around the country faced declines in public transportation use after COVID.
But the zero-fare program was controversial. The city and the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority have disagreed over who should pay for it since the zero-fare model was implemented. The KCATA used COVID relief funds to subsidize the fares, and the city allocated some funds to support the program. But that money ran out, and the KCATA suggested bringing back fares in 2023…