Kansas City’s Streetcar System Sees Rising Popularity and Record Ridership

Kansas City’s Streetcar System: Growing Popularity and High Ridership

In the heart of the Midwest, Kansas City is making waves with its vibrant streetcar system, which is quickly becoming a favorite among the locals. Despite being one of the smallest streetcar systems in the U.S., it boasts impressively high daily and annual ridership averages compared to its peers across the country. And that’s not all—construction on two extension projects is expected to boost the system’s productivity and popularity even further.

An Impressive Track Record

According to an internal analysis from the Kansas City Streetcar Authority, shared with relevant stakeholders, Kansas City has shown its streetcar system is remarkably efficient for its size. Tom Gerend, the executive director of the Kansas City Streetcar Authority, highlighted this success by noting that, “When you look at our system compared to other systems around the country, we’re incredibly productive for the size of our system.”

This analysis utilized data from the Federal Transit Administration, covering streetcar systems nationwide from 2019 to April 2024, comparing Kansas City’s ridership to that of 13 other cities, seven of which charge fares for riding.

Small Service Area, Big Impact

What’s truly fascinating is that Kansas City’s streetcar serves a population of just 33,940, making it one of the smallest service areas in the country. In comparison, Portland’s streetcar system has a service area population almost four times larger, yet Kansas City still manages an impressive average daily ridership of 4,979 passengers as of 2023.

To put it into perspective, only Portland had a higher daily ridership, averaging 7,245 passengers—though this comes at a cost, with fares set at $2 per trip. Tucson, which serves a population double that of Kansas City, managed to attract 4,725 daily riders, showing just how well Kansas City stacks up.

Future Extensions Will Open New Doors

Expectations are ever-brightening for Kansas City’s streetcar. Ridership numbers are anticipated to rise even more with the opening of a 3.5-mile southern extension next year, which will connect residents to new neighborhoods and destinations. Not to mention a 0.7-mile extension from the River Market to the Berkley Riverfront, scheduled for early 2026, which will take riders right to the bustling area surrounding the Kansas City Current’s CPKC Stadium.

Bouncing Back post-COVID

Like many public transit systems, Kansas City’s streetcar saw a decline in ridership during the pandemic. The average daily number dropped to 2,148 in 2020, a significant fall from 6,107 in 2019. However, there’s good news—since then, ridership has been steadily increasing, reaching 4,205 in 2022 and hitting close to 4,979 in 2023.

Interestingly, the streetcar has completely recovered its weekend and nighttime ridership levels, sometimes carrying over 10,000 passengers in a single day during peak times. The data indicates that weekdays, particularly during midday, still face some challenges in reaching pre-pandemic levels.

Looking Ahead

As we glance into the near future, experts estimate that around 5,000 daily riders will return this year. Gerend confidently states, “We’re nearing 100% of fully recovered pre-Covid numbers. While we’re not quite there yet, we’re really close.”

With more companies inviting workers to return to offices and exciting streetcar extensions on the horizon, the outlook for Kansas City’s streetcar ridership is incredibly promising. As Gerend noted, “From 2016 to 2019 and the time after Covid, we’ve observed sustained growth in ridership, which is a wonderful indicator of the value the streetcar system brings to our Downtown.”

As the city prepares for expansion and recovery, one thing is clear—Kansas City’s streetcar system is poised for greatness.