Good Samaritan shuttles passengers on KCATA buses stuck in snow

KANSAS CITY, Mo - The snowy road conditions were not just a nightmare for drivers. They also created a long list of problems for public transportation.

Cindy Baker, a spokeswoman with the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority, said 60 buses got stuck throughout the day. The KCATA suspended its service at 1 p.m.

At 66th and Oak in Brookside, two buses both spun out in the same intersection around 9 a.m. It took more than eight hours for tow trucks to arrive.

“What a day!” said driver Carrie Ivy. “But this is our job. This is what we do.”

Ivy kept fellow driver Jamie Pearl company during the long wait. Pearl had slid off the road minutes earlier, just missing a power pole.

“No need stressing ourselves out about it,” Pearl said. “We just tried to sit back, relax, laugh a little bit and go with the flow.”

The buses only had a few passengers on board when they got stuck. Neighbor Sam Grabill, who noticed the situation, actually invited the passengers and drivers inside for food, coffee and bathroom breaks.

Grabill even took it one step further by driving the passengers home.

“It was the right thing to do,” Grabill said. “They were appreciative. I’m sure they’re going to be out helping out someone else later. Paying it forward, right?”

At 4:30 p.m., Baker told 41 Action News the KCATA still had 20 buses that were stuck.

Grabill sent 41 Action News a photo at 5:30 p.m., showing tow trucks finally arrived to free the buses on Oak Street and get them back to the garage.