Bus Facts
KCATA quick stats:
- More than 15 million trips per year
- 65 strategic routes
- 800 employees focused on customer service
- 300 work vehicles
Buses get people to work:
Seventy-three percent of Metro riders use the bus to go to work or school, according to a 2007 on-board survey done by the ATA. Forty-six percent of riders have no other form of transportation, making continued bus service critical for Kansas City's economy.
Satisfied riders:
According to a 2007 on-board survey, 93 percent of MAX riders and 90 percent of Metro riders would recommend the bus service.
Efficient buses earn their keep:
ATA's transit services are extremely cost-effective compared with other cities' systems. Consider these comparisons with national averages:
| 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | |
| KC's Metro cost per mile: Source: National Transit Database |
$6.44 | $6.85 | N/A |
| National average cost per mile: Source: National Transit Database |
$7.80 | $8.30 | N/A |
The 3/8-cent sales tax is crucial to the ATA's $76 million total budget, providing about 30 percent of the total.
MAX-ing KC's transit service:
Since the institution of the MAX rapid bus route in the Main Street Corridor to Downtown, ridership on that route has nearly doubled. The MAX rapid buses have become a national model, and the ATA is planning new MAX lines on Troost and the North Oak Corridor.