Now there’s another option for getting around Kansas City. RideKC Bridj is an app-based, micro transit bus that serves downtown, Crown Center, Hospital Hill, Midtown, University of Kansas Medical Center and the Historic 18th and Vine Jazz district.
The Kansas City Area Transportation Authority (KCATA) launched the RideKC: Bridj service this spring. Riders can summon a bus in designated areas during morning and afternoon rush hour trips, from 6 to 10 a.m. and 3 to 7 p.m. The introductory fare for the pilot program is $1.50, the same as a fare for the local RideKC bus service. To sweeten the deal, Ride KC: Bridj is offering the first 10 rides for free with the promo code KCBRIDJ.
Customers can download the app from the Apple’s App Store or Google Play. Search for “Bridj” to find the app. Ride KC: Bridj has free Wi-Fi, a guaranteed seat, no transfers and fewer stops. This is the same ride-hailing technology used in Boston and Washington DC.
Using the Bridj mobile app, riders can request on-demand shuttle service that they can access via pop-up shuttle stations. Bridj is powered by billions of data points on the Bridj platform to determine where riders want to go and how to get them there the most efficiently.
“Modernizing urban infrastructure will be the single greatest technology challenge of our time, and this pilot is part of the solution by significantly extending the current capabilities of Kansas City’s mass transit system,” said Matt George, CEO of Bridj.
The 10 Ford Transit 14-passenger vehicles used for Bridj were designed and built in Kansas City for this project. The partnership between Bridj, KCATA and Ford is the first U.S. public-private collaboration of a major U.S. transit system, an automaker and an urban technology company for mass transit.
“Bridj will be an empowering tool that will offer one more option to make it easier for people to get around,” said Robbie Makinen, KCATA president and CEO.