RideKC in Johnson County to Reduce Bus Service Due to Stay-at-Home Order

Due to the “Stay-at-Home” order issued by Kansas Governor Laura Kelly, Johnson County announces a reduction in transit service levels to help reduce the spread of COVID-19 while maintaining access to essential businesses and services for riders.

Beginning Monday, April 13, RideKC Johnson County bus routes will run a reduced daily schedule. Local bus routes that operate with buses every 30-minutes during the peak hours of 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. and from 3 p.m. to 6.pm. will be reduced to hourly. Routes with existing hourly service will remain unchanged, both during peak hours and during midday hours and evenings. Express routes will be reduced to two trips during each peak period. The 510 K-10 Connector will continue operating on “Break” schedule until further notice. For more detailed information on each route, please visit https://ridekc.org/bulletins/joco-service-covid.

“At this time, we want to encourage our riders to only travel when it is absolutely necessary, and to follow the appropriate guidelines for social distancing, hand sanitization and wearing a mask or face covering if possible,” said Josh Powers, business liaison for Johnson County Government. “We want to provide access to essential destinations, while at the same time adhering to the Stay-at-Home order issued by the state of Kansas.”

For more schedule details, please see Maps and Schedules at Ridekc.org. For detailed schedule and route information, call the Regional Call Center at 816.221.0660 weekdays from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m.

In order to limit exposure to COVID-19, RideKC in Johnson County has taken the following steps in order to protect the public and its transit operators:

• No fare collection for public transportation: Passengers should board buses and head directly to a seat.
• Creating social distancing: Every other row on the large buses will be marked as “do not use” so that riders can be appropriately spaced.
• Changes to paratransit services: Johnson County is prioritizing one rider (with up to one travel companion) per vehicle. In emergency situations, there may be more than one rider and their travel companion. All other routes and microtransit are currently operating as usual.
• Implementing hygiene measures: Transit operators are utilizing gloves and hand sanitizer. Riders are encouraged to bring hand sanitizer or utilize the hand sanitizer provided on our vehicles.
• Daily bus sanitation: Buses are being sanitized daily manually and with a misting sanitizer using aqueous ozone (H203), which is a food-grade safe alternative to traditional chemical cleaners.

Stay up to date on Johnson County’s response to COVID-19 at jocogov.org/coronavirus.