KSHB 41 reporter Elyse Schoenig covers the cities of Shawnee and Mission. She also focuses on issues surrounding the cost of health care, saving for retirement and personal debt. Share your story idea with Elyse.
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Johnson County will eliminate two bus routes, reduce its micro transit service area, and end weekend transit service starting March 1.
Routes 563 Shawnee Express and 569 South OP Express will end completely as part of changes to the county's public transit system. The micro transit service area will also be limited to within the Interstate 435 loop.
The county is holding a series of public information meetings for riders to ask questions and learn more about the changes. The next in-person meeting will be held from noon to 1 p.m on Friday, Jan. 23, at the Central Resource Library, 9875 W. 87th Street in Overland Park.
People can also get updates and share thoughts through Johnson County's website.
At Monday's public information meeting, Vijay Krish said he's relied on Route 569 to get to and from work since 2019.
"They are now scratching it completely, which does not make any sense," Krish said.
The changes come as Johnson County leaders said they're revising the county's transit strategic plan, focusing on service in "areas with the highest need."
Interim Transit Director Justus Welker said the decision came down to county funding and rider data.
"Those [two routes] were by far the two lowest performing routes that Johnson County operates," Welker said.
The county is looking for alternatives for affected riders, Welker said. However, some riders worry about limited options.
One rider said the 563 route doesn't appear to have another option for accessing other routes.
Krish said his commute will change starting March 1, requiring him to spend either more time or money on transportation.
"It adds costs, and I might have to even buy a car down the line," he said. "I don't want to do it, but I might be forced to do it."
The strategic plan includes other changes for 2026 and 2027. Johnson County will standardize fixed route service so each route has at least one bus arriving every hour. The county plans to increase frequency on routes 401 Metcalf-Plaza, 475 75th Street and 520 Strang Line Express.
A new express route will connect the Mission Transit Center to the East Village Transit Center in Kansas City, Missouri. The county will also consolidate the 404 Metcalf-Downtown route with the 401 Metcalf-Plaza route.
Johnson County will rebrand its transit service from RideKC Johnson County to Ride JoCo, and the county will return to charging fares for fixed route transit and paratransit services.
Welker said the county is looking at additional funding streams for long-term sustainability beyond 2026 and 2027.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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