KANSAS CITY, Mo. — On Monday, the president and CEO of nonprofit Alphapointe in south Kansas City, Missouri, sent a letter of concern to local officials regarding ongoing funding negotiations between the city and the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority (KCATA) about funding.
Funding for KCATA buses ends on Aug. 15.
"We urge you to consider the importance of maintaining and expanding KCATA services to support the blind and disabled community in Kansas City," Reinhard Mabry, Alphapointe's president and CEO, said on behalf of the nonprofit's board of directors, employees and clients.
The letter was addressed to KCMO Mayor Quinton Lucas, Mayor Pro Tem Ryana Parks-Shaw, Councilmember Darrell Curls and the KCATA.
Cameron Black was born blind. In his role as a content and community relations specialist at Alphapointe, he tells the stories of his colleagues.
From Black's role to production, Alphapointe employs 80 blind and visually impaired Kansas Citians.
"I really love telling the stories of other blind and visually impaired people who are doing amazing things and are overcoming incredible obstacles just to live normal lives," Black said.
Obstacles like transportation. About 78% of Alphapointe's blind and visually impaired employees rely on KCATA services to get to and from work.
"It's not a convenience for us, it's crucial, we have to have it," Black said.
Paratransit is a service for those who are disabled and can't access fixed public transit routes. It's an ADA requirement for transit entities — like KCATA — to provide these services near their routes.
Here in Kansas City, it's called RideKC Freedom, and it picks up Black from his house and drops him off at work.
KCATA's paratransit services served over 20,000 passengers in July, according to KCATA.
"Without having a program like RideKC Freedom to bring us to Alphapointe, we wouldn't be able to lead the independent, product lives that we lead," Black said.
Black lives 30 minutes from Alphapointe and said rideshare options like Uber or Lyft are too expensive to use every day for work.
In addition to getting to work, Black said he uses RideKC Freedom to pick up groceries and run errands.
Mabry said he believes officials will find a solution, but the prolonged negotiations have caused his employees to worry.
“As long as that uncertainty exists, it represents a worry in the minds of our employees and a fear that they have," he said.
In the letter, Mabry expressed the importance of services remaining affordable.
"I did hear in their letter they had concern about the end of free-fare transit, how it impacts those that rely on the bus transit but don't have a high amount of money," Lucas said on Wednesday. "We will continue to make sure there is functionally free fare. What that means is it will be more of a means issue. I'm lucky enough to be able to pay for the bus, I'll pay for the bus. I have no problem with that. But, someone who's visually impaired, legally blind, something like that, who needs help getting to a job, healthcare, any opportunity, we'll make sure there's still an opportunity for them."
Lucas said it's been "tough bargaining," but there will be a resolution, and that a contract just needs to be agreed to and signed.
"We are confident this will be resolved without interrupting service," a KCATA spokesperson said in a statement to KSHB 41 News. "We are grateful for the advocacy demonstrated and want to assure the community, especially our current riders, that KCATA and KCMO are committed to successfully completing the 2025 contract negotiations and moving forward with renewed optimism."
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KSHB 41 reporter Lily O’Shea Becker covers Franklin and Douglas counties in Kansas. Share your story idea with Lily.
