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Another community in the Kansas City metro is ending its contract with IRIS microtransit.
Liberty's agreement with IRIS ends on Tuesday, September 30. The decision comes after Gladstone ended its contract for the microtransit program.
IRIS has operated in the Northland for two years. It was originally implemented to fill the public transportation gaps from the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority (KCATA) bus service.
Liberty's decision follows months of uncertainty with transit funding in Kansas City, Missouri.
The KCATA has been at risk of losing funding and potentially cutting route service. The regional transit service currently offers a limited number of routes taking riders from downtown Kansas City to the northern part of the city's jurisdiction.
However, there's no inter-bus service within the Northland.
For Kansas City residents like Wendy Kiger, it's a common occurrence to wait for an IRIS ride in the Northland.
"It's not really reliable to me because it's not stopping where it normally stop," Kiger said. "You could sit out here and be delayed for hours."
As someone who relies on public transit, Kiger explained putting her paycheck toward rideshares is a pricey option.
"Most of [my paycheck] goes toward transportation more than it does my bills," Kiger said. "I have to pay weekly where I'm at, and sometimes I fall behind on rent because of that."
Longer wait times paired with not taking riders to their exact destination is why the City of Liberty decided to end the IRIS contract. Instead, the city is partnering with GEST rideshare.
"[GEST] is going to offer the same services as what IRIS did, but giving us a true point-to-point, not an area-to-area, service," Liberty Councilman Jeff Watt said. "It's a better value for the same price."
Under the IRIS contract, Watt explained Liberty was paying about $168,000 a year. That cost has increased since the program began in 2023.
Watt is hopeful GEST will fill the transit gaps from the lack of bus service.
"It's very frustrating," Watt said. "We're supposed to be working as a regional, metropolitan area. But when it comes to public transportation, we are extremely handcuffed."
GEST rides will cost the same as IRIS rides. At $3 a trip, leaders hope it cuts down on daily costs to supplement IRIS with private rideshare like Uber or Lyft.
"You make money and you're broke the same day," Kiger said. "It just doesn't make it any easier, just a lot harder to get anywhere."
GEST is already underway in Gladstone after the city cut IRIS last month. But riders explained the availability is extremely limited, making it hard to rely on the service.
"They're constantly already booked up," Kiger said. "I don't think it's the same as IRIS because IRIS usually has open availability and GEST doesn't."
The City of Liberty will test GEST for 30 days and then decide if its worth extending the contract for a full partnership.
"[IRIS] helped us and gave us a nice bridge," Watt said. "But now that we're having to make a change, we're really hoping GEST picks up and fills that gap as well."
IRIS will end in Liberty on Tuesday, September 30. GEST will begin on Wednesday, October 1.
