Since being named CEO of the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority four years ago, Robbie Makinen has been quietly devising ways to eliminate fares. In all, about 25 percent of KCATA riders don’t pay to ride. Kansas City’s newly elected Mayor Quinton Lucas is also on board with the idea of zeroing out fares entirely. Were the KCATA to eliminate fares across the board, that would make Kansas City the first major city in the country—a few small college and resort towns have already done it—with a free transit system.
By Emily Park. The Pitch. August 27, 2019.
