IRIS micro transit services may be put on pause
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) - IRIS micro transit services may be put on pause in Kansas City next month – forcing some people to find a new method of transportation. More than 1,000 people use IRIS daily – including around 350 people who use it to get to-and-from work.
In April, KCMO City Council approved an ordinance to give KCATA six months of funding (around $47 million). As part of the funding, City Council asked KCATA to not reduce bus service, to improve KCATA’s finances, and to review IRIS Service Data and make recommendations on the program, among other directives.
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On Thursday, Kansas City’s Director of Transportation and KCATA met with City Council and recommended that – if the city wanted to maintain the same level of funding and did want to reduce bus service – the city “suspend” IRIS services.
This drew the ire of several city council people – who want IRIS to remain active. IRIS, which started operation in KCMO in March 2023, was meant to address some of the “gaps” in the current public transportation system.
In response, two ordinances will be discussed at City Hall on Tuesday. Those ordinances will look more closely at whether the city will continue to fund IRIS or keep things as they are. Per a city official, IRIS is set to suspend operations on May 15 – but that could change with Tuesday’s ordinances.
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Legislation Text by Sarah Motter on Scribd
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