Impact of Public Transportation for Low-Income Individuals Accessing Employment in Kansas City

The Problem 
Low-income households in Kansas City, Missouri, face infrequent and unreliable access to connect them to areas with high employer concentration. Approximately 28 million Americans are dependent on public transit to travel outside of their residence. Those who rely on public transportation tend to be disproportionately low-income individuals. Simultaneously, many routes exclude the low-income populations that rely on them most. This remains true in Kansas City, Missouri, where 32% of households earn less than $50,000 in yearly income but only 13% of those households are within a half mile of high-frequency full-day transportation. The bus routes offered by the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority (KCATA) leave over 75% of low-income residents without accessible and reliable transportation to work, perpetuating economic disparities. While the KCATA has made strides in reducing barriers that residents face in utilizing their offered public transportation, equity in access must be resolved to see substantial increases in take-up of these services. 

Why Transportation Matters 
When surveying low-income communities, access to transportation is continuously noted as a significant barrier when accessing employment. Aside from infrequency, the public continues to complain about the buses being inefficient means of transportation to and from work. This inefficiency can be found when looking at where major employers are located in contrast to bus routes. Findings show that the majority of employment centers are located outside of the urban core and are located farther in the suburbs. These suburbs have significantly fewer routes accessing them, as well as more limited service, disproportionately affecting night-shift workers (Unified Government of Wyandotte County, 2016). Roughly only 37% of jobs are located near high-frequency public transportation (All Transit, 2019). The distance between the low-income communities and opportunity areas alone results in long commute times, which is then exasperated by the lack of accessibility.

Low-income individuals are less likely to own a car, which is the most direct and reliable means of transportation to work. In Kansas City, those who are classified as having low to medium income are 10 percentage points less likely to have access to a personal vehicle. This disparity forces these communities to be reliant on public transportation to access employment. When this transportation is unreliable or inefficient, low-income individuals face the prospect of job loss which harms individuals and communities.

Solutions on the Horizon
Kansas City today is home to over 500,000 and serves an income-diverse population. The median household income in 2022 was $65,256 with almost 15% living in poverty. In recognition of its historical shortcomings in serving its’ low-income residents, the city has made strides to accommodate those who rely on public transportation. These initiatives include three MAX bus lines, the KC Streetcar, eradicating fares on buses, and plans for a new east-west streetcar.

A Deeper Look At Current and Future Projects
MAX Bus Lines: Introduced in 2005, MAX is a BRT serving the most highly populated areas of the city. These buses boast more frequent service, traffic signal priority, and faster service.

The KC Streetcar: Introduced in 2016, the 2-mile streetcar route runs along major businesses and attractions downtown. It is free for all to use.

Fare-Free Bus Program: In 2020, the city was one of the first in the United States to unanimously vote to introduce a fare-free bus initiative that eliminated the direct monetary barrier of all bus transportation. This initiative has been funded through federal aid, as well as a ⅜ cent sales tax, known as the “bus tax”. This pilot program was to last three years before being evaluated and voted for continuation. In March of 2024, the city council, again unanimously voted to continue keeping bus fares free while conducting an additional study on the impacts and possible funding avenues.

East and West streetcar: In the past year, the city has initiated plans for the creation of a bus route that would connect communities across the state line that divides the city. As it stands now, the transportation services are concentrated in a north-south fashion. The bi-state project to expand services will take approximately ten years to complete.

Conclusion
As outlined, public transportation plays a crucial role in providing low-income individuals in Kansas City with access to employment opportunities. Despite efforts to improve services, such as fare-free buses and new transportation lines, inequities in accessibility and inefficiencies in the system continue to disproportionately affect low-income communities. The city is continuing its investment in public transportation by allocating $70.8 million of the 2024 budget to KCATA, a $15 million increase from last year. Continued investments and expansion of public transportation are essential to bringing the transportation gap and fostering economic mobility for low-income Kansas City residents.

Libby Miles

​Libby is a second year Master of Public Policy student from Yorktown, Virginia. She graduated from Christopher Newport University in 2023 with her B.A. in Political Science. She is a policy generalist who is passionate about Virginia state policies aimed at relieving inequities faced by marginalized communities within the commonwealth. 

The views expressed above are solely the author's and are not endorsed by the Virginia Policy Review, The Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy, or the University of Virginia. Although this organization has members who are University of Virginia students and may have University employees associated or engaged in its activities and affairs, the organization is not a part of or an agency of the University. It is a separate and independent organization which is responsible for and manages its own activities and affairs. The University does not direct, supervise or control the organization and is not responsible for the organization’s contracts, acts, or omissions.