"KC Strip" Bus Service

[hethj7]

Some Westport business leaders and Yellow Cab are trying to set up a bus service that runs on the weekends from Lew's in Waldo, through the Plaza, through Westport, through Martini corner, to Power and Light, and then to Seven.  It will run until 3 am so you can ride back to wherever you started earlier in the night.  The thought is to charge 15 bucks for a bracelet that lets you on and off all night, and each bar participating will have a different drink special at different times throughout the night.  So, more or less it's a pub crawl every Friday and Saturday night.  Apparently this may be running by this summer.

[DaveKCMO]

excellent idea. fewer DBs driving drunk is a good thing. does this mean peace between the P+L and westport posses? or just way to siphon business back to the old haunts?

too bad they can't just give some money to ATA for a night owl MAX to run during the summer.

[TheBigChuckbowski]

too bad they can't just give some money to ATA for a night owl MAX to run during the summer.

or every weekend.

[alpha_glamourina]

Yeah, start w/ a summer stint and keep it going until it's not paying for itself as the weather cools.  Surely during the winter holiday season it'd be viable, right? 

[hethj7]

Right or wrong, most people are "scared" of the bus.  It's unclear to them where stops are, when to get off, etc.  Honestly, I think people are much more likely to get on a bus system like what is proposed than jump on a city bus. 

I don't use the bus often, but I do at times.  It's always a struggle to convince my friends to use it with me and even though I research routes and maps, I have jumped on the wrong route before.  Granted, that was on a freezing night where buses were running late and I was just ready to jump on the first one that showed up to get our of the cold.

[TheBigChuckbowski]

Right or wrong, most people are "scared" of the bus.  It's unclear to them where stops are, when to get off, etc.  Honestly, I think people are much more likely to get on a bus system like what is proposed than jump on a city bus. 

I don't use the bus often, but I do at times.  It's always a struggle to convince my friends to use it with me and even though I research routes and maps, I have jumped on the wrong route before.  Granted, that was on a freezing night where buses were running late and I was just ready to jump on the first one that showed up to get our of the cold.

so $15 vs $1.25 wouldn't convince them?

[PumpkinStalker]

I am with you on buses being intimidating.  I ride the max periodically because I know exactly where it's taking me.  I have never ridden others because I don't understand them.

[mean]

This is largely a failure of the KCATA, and probably based on funding. In Chicago I never have a problem getting on any bus. I don't need to look at a map or try to divine where the bus is going. If the bus says it is the Belmont bus, I can safely assume it is going to run down Belmont. If I want go down Belmont, I get on the bus and then get off when I have arrived where I'm going. As long as I know the general direction I want to travel in, I just get on the damn bus and let it take me where I'm going. I have never once gotten on the wrong bus. "I need to go that way," is all that I need to know.

In KC, which is a city I am far, far more familiar with, I have managed to get on the wrong bus. "Oops, this isn't the 39 bus that goes down 39th Street, it's the 39 bus that goes looping aimlessly around the plaza and westport!" And why does the 47 need to go downtown? Why can't it just go, you know, up and down 47th Street and let you transfer to a northbound bus? The system doesn't really make sense, and I can only assume that it's because we can't afford one that does make sense. Either that or the planners are idiots.

[NDTeve]

wonder if you'll be allowed to drink booze on the proposed bus.

[DaveKCMO]

wonder if you'll be allowed to drink booze on the proposed bus.

while that would make it more fun, i would guess that those funding the service want people inside their businesses buying the liquor there. i mean isn't this only being proposed to siphon business back from P+L?

[dangerboy]

This is largely a failure of the KCATA, and probably based on funding.

I agree.  I get the sense that a lot of the deviations and odd route changes are an attempt to get service stretch the dollars and provide service in more neighborhoods. 

With such a great street grid, KC really could have a similar bus system to Chicago.  You wouldn't need a map or time table, just head to the nearest major arterial and wait for a bus going in the right direction, then easily transfer at the right cross street.

But that would mean raising the sales tax to provide more money for transit...

[PumpkinStalker]

I agree.  I get the sense that a lot of the deviations and odd route changes are an attempt to get service stretch the dollars and provide service in more neighborhoods. 

With such a great street grid, KC really could have a similar bus system to Chicago.  You wouldn't need a map or time table, just head to the nearest major arterial and wait for a bus going in the right direction, then easily transfer at the right cross street.

But that would mean raising the sales tax to provide more money for transit...

Indication of just how completely misinformed I was as of 6 months ago.  I moved downtown thinking I would take the bus everywhere, get on a N/S bus, transfer to an E/W bus, get where I needed.  Then I found out that they snake all over and I gave up that idea and never even tried it.  If I can't get there by bike or Max quickly, I'll end up driving.

[hethj7]

so $15 vs $1.25 wouldn't convince them?

Again, right or wrong or against logic, I think there's a lot of people that would rather pay $15, which also gets you a bracelet good for the drink specials, and know where they are going than to get on a city bus and not quite be sure if they're on the right path.  It basically amounts to a pub crawl every weekend.

[cknab1]

I so agree with you guys about the bus service in KC.  I had a letter to the editor in the Star a few weeks ago about the Max being one block north of Sprint Center headed north and two blocks away in case you wanted to go back south after an event at the SC.  Any consistent service after 8 PM is hard to find.  And they have no bus stop on Grand in front of the SC.  You have to go south of Truman to catch the bus, and I don’t know how far north on Grand before there is a stop.  Bus 54 did stop for me one time, but what about people from out of town that try and use our public transportation.  It’s like they really don’t want you to use the bus.  THE GRID SYSTEM WOULD MAKE LIFE SO EASY, WHY CAN’T WE DO THAT!

[DaveKCMO]

I so agree with you guys about the bus service in KC.  I had a letter to the editor in the Star a few weeks ago about the Max being one block north of Sprint Center headed north and two blocks away in case you wanted to go back south after an event at the SC.

per the ATA, you can blame cordish (and thus the prior administration) for the MAX not using 13th street.

[cknab1]

Not disagreeing with the ATA because I don’t know, but Cordish seems to be a favorite answer/scapegoat for a lot of people in town.  Parking isn’t like you thought, Cordish.  Can’t drink outside, Cordish.  Business disappearing, Cordish.  Bus not convenient, Cordish.

[anniewarbucks]

Part of the reason for the strange routes in cities like KC is because of the number of required stops that each bus has to make.

[bahua]

The bus service that's being discussed sounds more like a party bus, and not a make-up for the KCATA's failings. I think it's pretty likely that it'd attract people from the suburbs that would just park in front of Lew's, and take the bus back down later that night and drive home drunk.

[NDTeve]

I like the party bus idea. But I would take a cab to Lews and a cab home. DUI not in budget plans.

[bahua]

I'm just saying that drunk driving will probably not be stemmed by this service, since the most likely users of it don't live anywhere close to its route.