Gosh, I don't even know where to start here. First, the loop cap is not related to RideKC regional transit. Loop cap funding is still completely up in the air. It would be privately funded. North Loop is also another matter. We are taking specifically the 3/8 transit sales tax renewal, and RideKC's proposal to create a more efficient dedicated funding source from the entireity of the service area.
KC regional transit is not equivilent to Denver. Just as a baseline, in 2019 RTD's OpEx was $755M, KCATA was $114M.
RTD Service Area: 3.08 million people. 2,342 square mile
KCATA: . "Urbanized service area" 678 square miles. Population of 1,519,417 (2019 stats)/
Major issues from RTD are that "transit doesn't go anywhere." "The fare system is too expensive/confusing/rideshare is less." "The train takes too long (aka too many stops)."
https://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/3 ... ated-fares
Two of those are mutually exclusive, plus there are funding obligations RTD has to meet. Herein lies the problem. Transit cannot go everywhere you want to go but also have fewer stops.
Fares are too expensive - difficult since RTS is more heavily dependent on fares than KCMO. They built/are building out their network based on a 2004 tax and promised certain things to certain regions and now a few of those areas are pissed bc of lack of service. But, without their funding, the RTD would have trouble making the expansion that it did.
COVID came and wrecked ridership for all. We should study what happend in Denver, SLC and other places with more robust transit to avoid making their mistakes.
Imho, since this thread is about regional transit, if we do want to put a regional vote forward, we need to make sure to not overpromise and underdeliver. We can avoid RTD's mistakes but still have a regional transit system. Accessablity, free and simple. Edit- also, I still think we should build on the streetcar's success and have dedicated center-running streetcar to all counties vote's being requested and helped paid for by their funds. It's popular and successful development tool and I think it'll get votes too.