2021 Ridership Hits 1 Million


(Kansas City, Missouri) – After nearly two years of uncertainty related to the Covid-19 pandemic, the KC Streetcar experiences a continued increase in ridership.


As 2021 ends, the KC Streetcar has surpassed 1 million passenger trips during this calendar year. This is a substantial increase from 2020 when the total ridership was 782,556. Earlier this year, the KC Streetcar increased operating hours and service as the demand for ridership increased. This was also in response to the increase in activity and the workforce returning to downtown.


KC Streetcar ridership continues to steadily recover since COVID-19 first dramatically impacted ridership in March 2020. 2021 ridership has recovered to approximately 60% of pre-COVID-19 impacts and is up approximately 200% on average compared to 2020 ridership.



The highest ridership day in 2021 was Saturday July 3rd with 10,890 passenger trips. Overall, the Independence holiday weekend was the highest ridership weekend of the year, followed by the Memorial Day holiday weekend. Summer continues to be the highest ridership season for the KC Streetcar. July’s ridership was the highest monthly ridership at 149,713.



While streetcar ridership bounces back, the team remains vigilant in the Covid-19 mitigation efforts established in early 2020. Face masks are still required when riding the KC Streetcar, as are daily cleanings of all streetcar vehicles. Other efforts include the availability of on-board hand sanitizer dispensers and face masks, enforcement of limiting “continuous riding”, equipping operators with wipes, sprays, hand sanitizer and PPE including face masks and gloves, and public messaging consistent with local government, KCMO Health Department, regional transit partners, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Transportation Security Administration (TSA).