Johnson County Transit

Johnson County Transit – The JO
Founded1982
HeadquartersOlathe, Kansas
LocaleJohnson County, Kansas, Kansas City Metropolitan Area
Service typeTransit bus
Routes11
Fleet83
Daily ridership1,600 (weekdays, Q2 2024)[1]
Annual ridership415,800 (2023)[2]
OperatorFirst Transit[3]

Johnson County Transit is a public transit operator in Johnson County, Kansas. It is the operator of 11 local bus routes in Douglas, Johnson, and Wyandotte Counties in Kansas and Jackson County in Missouri.

Johnson County Transit started operations in 1982 as Commuteride and began operating as The JO in 1986. The JO took over service from the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority, which provided service in Johnson County until 1981.

In November of 2014, The JO was re-branded into "RideKC" – a branding effort designed to unify all Kansas City metro area transit providers under a single fare and route structure.[4]

In 2023, the system had a ridership of 415,800, or about 1,600 per weekday as of the second quarter of 2024.

Regular Routes

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Johnson County Transit is now using route numbers integrated with those used by the KC Metro bus system.[5] The new numeric designations, mostly formed by placing a 3-digit number before the letter designation, are shown.

List of routes

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  • 401-495: Local routes
  • 510-569: Express routes
  • Green indicates full-day 30 minute frequencies
  • Blue indicates full-day 60 minute frequencies
  • Red indicates commuter service
Route # Route Name Terminal 1 Terminal 2 Notes
401 Metcalf-Plaza Overland Park
Johnson County Community College
Kansas City
University of Missouri–Kansas City
402 Johnson-Quivira Overland Park
Oak Park Mall
Kansas City, Kansas
Minnesota & 18th
Limited extended service to Renner & 116th (3 departures per day) and Mur Len & 127th (1 departure per day).
403 Antioch-KU Med Olathe
K-7 & Santa Fe
Kansas City, Kansas
University of Kansas Medical Center
404 Metcalf-Downtown Overland Park
119th & Metcalf Park & Ride
Kansas City
12th & Pennsylvania
Travels on I-35 for a portion of the route
475 Quivira-75th Street Overland Park
University of Kansas Edwards Campus
Kansas City
75th & Troost Transit Center
487 87th Street-MTC Lenexa
87th & Scarborough (Lenexa City Center)
Mission
Mission Transit Center
495 95th Street Lenexa
87th & Scarborough (Lenexa City Center)
Kansas City
74th & Broadway Park & Ride
510 K-10 Connector Overland Park
University of Kansas Edwards Campus
Lawrence
Bob Billings & Crestline (Central Station)
One intermediate stop at Johnson County Community College. Runs a limited schedule during school breaks at the University of Kansas. Travels on I-435 and K-10.
520 Strang Line Express Olathe
Strang Line Rd Park & Ride
Kansas City
12th & Pennsylvania
One intermediate stop before downtown Kansas City at Oak Park Mall. Travels on I-35.
563 Shawnee Express Shawnee
66th & Hilltop Park & Ride
Kansas City
12th & Pennsylvania
3 intermediate stops, in Shawnee, Merriam, and Mission (Mission Transit Center). Travels on Shawnee Mission Parkway and I-35.
569 South OP Express Overland Park
Antioch & 137th St Park & Ride
Kansas City
12th & Pennsylvania
Travels on US-69 and I-35.

Other Services

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In addition to The JO, Johnson County Transit also operates three other services; Local Links, The JO-Special Edition, & SWIFT.

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Local Links are either deviated-fixed routes or demand-response routes, with designated, geographic service areas. Many of the Local Links are a partnership between Johnson County Transit, the city or cities being served. The Local Links routes are:

812 JOFlex – A deviated-fixed route operating Tuesday & Friday, mostly in north-central Overland Park, Kansas. The fare is $1.00 per trip.

The JO-Special Edition

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The JO-Special Edition, a shared ride program administered by Johnson County Transit, provides affordable curb-to-curb transportation for residents of Johnson County who are sixty (60) years of age or older, or have a documented disability or are within established low-income guidelines.

Eligible riders may use The JO-Special Edition for any trip purpose within the Johnson County service area. Children ages 13 to 18 with a documented disability may ride for medical appointments only. The JO – Special Edition travels into specified areas of Kansas City, Kansas and Kansas City, Missouri for medical trips only.

Special Edition operates curb-to-curb service Monday-Friday and is provided on a first come, first served basis. Fares are based upon distance traveled and multiple ride passes are available.

SWIFT

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SWIFT (Sheltered Workshop Industrial Fixed Transit) provides Monday-Friday, curb-to-curb transportation for developmentally disabled individuals working at the Johnson County Developmental Supports facility in Lenexa, Kansas.

Partner Agencies

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References

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  1. ^ "Transit Ridership Report Second Quarter 2024" (PDF). American Public Transportation Association. September 3, 2024. Retrieved September 5, 2024.
  2. ^ "Transit Ridership Report Fourth Quarter 2023" (PDF). American Public Transportation Association. March 4, 2024. Retrieved September 5, 2024.
  3. ^ Jobs at The JO
  4. ^ "Johnson County reassumes day-to-day management of Johnson County Transit from KCATA".
  5. ^ The JO homepage – click on "Why is The JO switching to route numbers?"
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