Kansas City Streetcar Reports Extended Hours of Operation
Written by David C. Lester, Editor-in-Chief
(Photograph: William C. Vantuono)
While this is a local story, and the KC Streetcar is a comparatively small operation, it's nice to report some encouraging news about growth in ridership and the increasing vibrance of a downtown area.
Starting Monday, January 23, the KC Streetcar will extend weeknight hours to midnight. The change in hours of operation for weeknights is in direct response to an increase in KC Streetcar ridership and downtown activity.
The new hours of operation are:
• Monday through Thursday: 6:00 a.m. – 12:00 a.m.
• Friday: 6:00 a.m. – 1:00 a.m. (no change)
• Saturday: 7:00 a.m. – 1:00 a.m. (no change)
• Sunday: 7:00 a.m. – 12:00 a.m.
“We anticipate strong and growing ridership demand this spring with the downtown activities related to the BIG XII Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championships and the NFL Draft and the time is now to expand our service hours and capacity to keep Kansas City moving,” said Tom Gerend, Executive Director, KC Streetcar Authority.
KC Streetcar ridership has steadily increased and rebounded since the early months of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020. In 2022, the KC Streetcar served more than 1.5 million passenger trips, which was a 45% increase over 2021 ridership numbers and a 200% increase over 2020 ridership numbers. Since opening in May 2016, the KC Streetcar has served more than 11.2 million passenger trips. For more information about KC Streetcar ridership in 2022, including peak ridership months and stops, visit our website at www.kcstreetcar.org/ridership.
Strong demand in the last hours of service and requests from the community and passengers support the late-night demand and decision to extend hours.
To stay connected on KC Streetcar service and hours of operation, sign up for free text alerts with RideKC Notify. Text ’streetcar’ to 816.685.8541 to subscribe.
