The Kansas City Area Transportation Authority (KCATA) board of commissioners approved a new regional transit brand, the 2015 operating budget and a contract to improve the way KCATA provides service to people with disabilities.

RideKC was endorsed as the new regional transit brand. The approval follows 10 months of stakeholder engagement, research and design. The RideKC brand will be the umbrella brand used by all the region’s transit agencies and will be used to provide unified marketing and communication for multiple modes of transit, including local bus service, rapid bus service and the future streetcar.

The RideKC brand will be rolled out in 2015. Transit agency staff and consultants will continue to further refine the design and plan the implementation of RideKC.

The board also approved the 2015 operating budget. The budget positions KCATA to fulfill the intent of its original bi-state compact, promoting a stronger, more efficient system for the Kansas City metropolitan area. This represents a 3.3% increase over the 2014 operating budget.

Finally, the board also approved development of a plan to improve and standardize throughout the region the process to determine if customers with disabilities are eligible for paratransit and reduced fares.

Through a contract approved with Medical Transportation Management (MTM), a program will be established whereby a customer will receive individualized eligibility determination based on how the applicants’ disability impacts their use the fixed route system. MTM will provide eligibility assessments for ADA and Non-ADA paratransit service in the whole region, including KCATA’s Share-A-Fare, The Jo’s Special Edition, City of Independence’s IndeAccess and Unified Government’s Dial-A-Ride programs.