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In Kansas City, World Cup preparations include a new transit system
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+ Special Series 2026 World Cup: North America Find Your Station LISTEN: The Last Cup ESCUCHA: La última copa The 2026 FIFA World Cup is from June 11 to July 19, 2026.
− Fresh Air Wild Card with Rachel Martin It's Been a Minute Planet Money Get NPR+ More Podcasts & Shows Search Newsletters NPR Shop Tiny Desk New Music Friday All Songs Considered Music Features Live Sessions About NPR Diversity Support Careers Press Ethics In Kansas City, World Cup preparations include a new transit system FIFA host cities are gearing up to transport thousands of fans to stadiums for the soccer matches.
+ Sixteen host cities across North America, including Atlanta, Dallas, Houston, Seattle, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Boston, Kansas City, Miami, and New York/New Jersey in the United States.
− Kansas city is going all out on adding new buses and routes.
+ The NPR Network will have coverage from across the country leading up to and during the championship.
From
By
Savannah Hawley-Bates
Enlarge this image A streetcar passes by the Country Club Plaza in Kansas City, Missouri.
− National In Kansas City, World Cup preparations include a new transit system May 20, 20264:09 PM ET Heard on All Things Considered From By Savannah Hawley-Bates In Kansas City, World Cup preparations include a new transit system Listen · 3:50 3:50 Transcript Toggle more options Download Embed Embed "> <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/nx-s1-5818565/nx-s1-9779054" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player"> Transcript FIFA host cities are gearing up to transport thousands of fans to stadiums for the soccer matches.
+ As the smallest U.S.
− Kansas city is going all out on adding new buses and routes.
+ host city for the World Cup, Kansas City faces questions about how it will shuttle 650,000 expected visitors around town.
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JUANA SUMMERS, HOST:
The World Cup is about a month away.
+ Julie Denesha/KCUR 89.3 hide caption
A streetcar passes by the Country Club Plaza in Kansas City, Missouri.
− And Kansas City, Missouri, the smallest host city, is preparing for hundreds of thousands of visitors.
+ As the smallest U.S.
− As Savannah Hawley-Bates with member station KCUR reports, it is building a second transit system to get visitors and residents more interested in taking the bus.
+ host city for the World Cup, Kansas City faces questions about how it will shuttle 650,000 expected visitors around town.
− (SOUNDBITE OF TRAIN RATTLING)
SAVANNAH HAWLEY-BATES, BYLINE: I'm on my way from downtown Kansas City, where the FIFA Fan Fest will take place starting in June, to the stadium where six World Cup matches will be played this summer.
+ KANSAS CITY - When the World Cup comes to Kansas City, Missouri, this summer for six matches, the metro-area could welcome some 650,000 visitors — more than the city's estimated population of 520,000.
The smallest host city is doing a lot to prepare, including building a new transit system specifically for the World Cup.
− It's about a 15-minute car ride.
+ FIFA requires, but doesn't help pay for, host cities to provide public transportation to visitors.
− But I'm taking public transit, which will take a lot longer. There's currently no fast public transit to the stadium where the World Cup matches will be played. Slow, infrequent buses are the norm for Kansas Citians. But this summer, the World Cup will bring a transportation windfall, at least temporarily. That includes a direct route from downtown to the stadium where the matches will take place.
+ In a place like sprawling Kansas City, that's an even bigger challenge because the area transportation system already struggles to provide frequent and reliable service to its residents.
− PAM KRAMER: From the very beginning there's been a real focus on making sure that we put our best foot forward.
+ KC2026 would not disclose the cost of the transit system costs, but a representative for the planning committee said "costs will be in the millions." Spokespeople for Kansas City confirmed that the city pledged to provide KC2026 with $15 million to meet World Cup obligations, but it does not know exactly how that money will be allocated.
− HAWLEY-BATES: That's Pam Kramer, the CEO of KC2026, the city's planning group behind the World Cup.
+ Union Station Kansas City will become a central hub for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, hosting the official Volunteer Center and a 14,000-square-foot visitor playground In Kansas City, Missouri.
− It will run its own transit system on top of the existing regional system.
+ The station will also serve as a key transit stop for the estimated 650,000 visitors this summer.
− The extra buses will be called ConnectKC26. The plan is to carry hundreds of thousands of visitors to 15 different locations where no direct bus service currently exists. They include the FIFA Fan Festival, the airport, the stadium and other tourist attractions.
+ Julie Denesha/KCUR 89.3 hide caption
Pam Kramer, CEO of KC2026, the city's World Cup planning committee, said she wants the service to be available for both residents and tourists.
− (SOUNDBITE OF VEHICLE CHIMING)
HAWLEY-BATES: But those new routes will last for only the month of the tournament.
+ "We're thinking about it beyond the tournament and the requirements (from FIFA)," Kramer said.
− So I'm taking the current route from downtown to the stadium.
AUTOMATED VOICE: Next stop, plaza.
HAWLEY-BATES: Our journey starts on Kansas City Streetcar.
+ "To deliver value to the region, spread out the economic impact, make sure people from across the region participate and make sure visitors see all we have to offer is something I'm really proud of."
The improved bus service, however, won't last.
− After about 15 minutes, it's time to transfer.
+ Once the tournament ends, so will the new transit system, leaving residents back where they were before.
− (SOUNDBITE OF VEHICLE CHIMING)
HAWLEY-BATES: The bus arrives 10 minutes behind schedule, and I step on board with my travel companion.
ERIC BUNCH: Hi.
+ Sunrise Movement Kansas City and its sister organization, the Kansas City Bus Riders Union, have been speaking out against the disparity.
− I'm Eric Bunch.
+ In a zine published in March, the groups said the city is leaving residents behind as it prepares better services for tourists.
− HAWLEY-BATES: As both a city council member and a commissioner for the regional transit agency, Eric Bunch has been working to ensure the World Cup is a smooth ride for everyone.
+ "For 33 days this summer, KC's public transit will bloom; granting more routes and greater frequency to tourists and visitors, all things that Kansas Citians deserve everyday," the group wrote in its "Not a Game to Us" zine.
− That includes making sure that KC2026's new buses coordinate with the existing ones, like the one we're on.
BUNCH: The stadium is like 7 miles from downtown.
+ "Long-term investments in our city's transit should not be sacrificed to accommodate any single event — no matter how 'monumental.'"
Streetcars will become an important part of transporting the expected 650,000 World Cup visitors this summer in Kansas City, Missouri.
− And that's 7 Kansas City miles, not 7 New York miles.
+ Julie Denesha/KCUR 89.3 hide caption
The extra buses, around 225 of them, are called "Connect KC26" and will carry the hundreds of thousands of estimated visitors to 15 different locations where no direct bus service currently exists.
− So it still lacks a lot of the density between here and there.
+ The buses will also take people between the airport, the FIFA Fan Festival and the stadium.
− And so transit options are pretty limited.
+ Kansas City's regular buses already go to those areas, but it takes riders much longer than KC2026 plans to run its system.
− HAWLEY-BATES: The issue here is frequency.
+ It takes about 15 minutes by car to get from where the FIFA Fan Festival will take place to the stadium.
To do so with the current public transportation it would take riders over an hour.
− This bus comes only once every 45 minutes and takes a lot of stops before it gets to the stadium, which is on the eastern edge of the city, right next to a highway.
+ That journey entails about 15 minutes on the city's streetcar line, then about 25 minutes on a bus that comes once every 45 minutes.
− With the added buses, Pam Kramer, with the planning committee, says she wants the World Cup transit to be a showcase for the city.
+ Once the bus drops off riders outside the stadium, it takes another 15 minutes to walk from the stop through the stadium's massive parking lots to its entrance.
− KRAMER: To make sure people from across the region participate and make sure visitors see all we have to offer is something I'm really proud of.
+ On a Connect KC26 Stadium Direct bus, that ride will only take about 20 minutes without traffic.
− HAWLEY-BATES: Right now, all buses are free in Kansas City.
+ "The stadium is like 7 miles from downtown, and that's 7 Kansas City miles, not 7 New York miles, so it still lacks a lot of the density between here and there, and so transit options are pretty limited," said Eric Bunch, a Kansas City councilmember who also sits on the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority's board of commissioners.
− But they're reinstating fares just in time for the World Cup.
+ "It's not that bad, but that's not typically what you want to hear when we're talking about something as vital as public transit."
GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium will serve as "Kansas City Stadium" for the tournament, will host six matches for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Kansas City, Missouri.
− So this bus trip to and from the stadium will cost $4.
+ The venue will host four group stage matches, one Round of 32 game, and one quarterfinal.
− But a ConnectKC26 direct bus will cost $15 round trip.
+ Julie Denesha/KCUR 89.3 hide caption
The Kansas City Area Transportation Authority has been battling budget shortfalls and transportation cuts for years.
− That's more than host cities like Dallas and Philadelphia, but far less than the $100-plus fans will pay for stadium transit in New York.
+ The area currently has the fewest number of bus routes it's ever had, and many of the suburbs have stopped their transit service altogether.
− For the non-stadium trips, there's a $50 pass in Kansas City that's valid for a month.
+ That means the KCATA doesn't have fast, direct public transit between many of the World Cup locations.
− Bunch hopes people will use it and explore public transit.
+ The agency serves Kansas City, Missouri, which is 319 square miles itself, and most of the metro, which includes two states, seven counties, and many municipalities.
− BUNCH: You know, you could buy a pass for the entire month and just explore the city.
+ Kramer said the city wants to show the world it is ready for the games.
− I think that's an exciting thing.
+ The city and area transit authority have been working with the committee to establish the new system.
− So I think that there's an opportunity.
+ While it will still take people around the metro, with an emphasis on tourist hot spots, Bunch said the transportation authority will be mainly focused on providing service to residents during the tournament.
After six years of free rides, the KCATA will begin charging fares again, beginning June 1.
− But I think that we really have to be mindful and really thoughtful about how we leverage that for future planning.
+ During the tournament, a ride to and from the stadium on city buses will cost $4. ConnectKC26's direct charter buses, it will cost $15 round trip.
− (SOUNDBITE OF BUS BRAKING)
HAWLEY-BATES: But for now, our bus has arrived outside the stadium, about 25 minutes and 40 stops later.
+ That price puts Kansas City in the middle of the pack among World Cup host cities for public transportation.
− I'm now 50 minutes into this trip.
+ It's far cheaper than the $80 to more than $100 that fans will have to pay in places like Boston or New York, but more expensive than fares in Dallas and Philadelphia.
− (SOUNDBITE OF FOOTSTEPS CLICKING)
HAWLEY-BATES: All that's left is a 15-minute walk from the stop, through the stadium's massive parking lots, to its entrance.
+ But the additional bus service will only last during the tournament from June 11 to July 13.
− For NPR News, I'm Savannah Hawley-Bates in Kansas City.
+ Providing seamless transit for visitors while preparing for bus cuts after the tournament leaves town angers some residents.
− (SOUNDBITE OF ANDERSON .PAAK SONG, "COME DOWN") Copyright © 2026 NPR.
+ "Prioritizing World Cup transportation over funding frequent, reliable everyday transit, it signals to me that they don't care about everyday working Kansas Citians who rely on bus service," Kansas City resident Dayne Moth wrote in the "Not a Game to Us" zine.
− All rights reserved.
+ "They aren't treating transit as a necessity.
− Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information.
+ It's a disgrace."
A rider prepares to exit the route 47 bus from the Country Club Plaza in Kansas City, Missouri.
− Accuracy and availability of NPR transcripts may vary.
+ RideKC travels to GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium seven days a week.
− Transcript text may be revised to correct errors or match updates to audio.
+ Julie Denesha/KCUR 89.3 hide caption
Bunch hopes the World Cup transit will encourage people to take the bus more or maybe try it for the first time.
− Audio on npr.org may be edited after its original broadcast or publication.
+ For non-stadium trips, a monthly pass, which will take people all across the metro, will cost $50.
− The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.
+ He hopes the effort will foster more regional collaboration and funding for expanded regular public transit.
"Optimistically, I think it provides a glimpse into what a truly regional transit system could look like," Bunch said.
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+ "That looks different for a regular, everyday person versus a visitor coming for the World Cup. But I think that it's going to be a system that's usable for the everyday person. I think that there's an opportunity, but we have to be mindful and really thoughtful about how we leverage that for future planning."
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