Public hearing provides details on possible KRT bus route cuts, KRTplus expansion

At a public presentation Tuesday evening, Sean Hill, executive director, said that, while cuts last year to Sunday service and frequency on some lines helped reduce the deficit, KRT still has $885,000 more in costs than revenue, which mostly comes from grants and the Kanawha County Safety Levy.

A $6 million capital reserve fund helps cover the deficit costs.

Possible cut routes

Hill is proposing the following routes be eliminated:

• #11 Wertz Avenue (308 riders in May 2025)
• #13 Beech Avenue (311 riders)
• #15 South Hills (169)
• #16 South Park (396)
• #18 Fort Hill/Montrose (182)

The #10 City Park/Northgate/Hillcrest route (1,224 riders in May 2025) could be partially cut. Service will continue in the City Park area.

Hill said the decision to cut these routes comes down to cost and ridership.

The affected routes had a cost of $24-$58 per passenger in May. According to KRT, the industry standard is $5-$7 per passenger.

" They're really tough to justify even after we halved the frequency,� he said. “Knowing that we can serve those passengers with microtransit, it would be irresponsible of us not to look at these.�

The most-used route, the Nitro route, had a ridership of 22,803 in May 2025 and a cost per passenger of $11.69.

To determine the cost per passenger, KRT uses a formula that calculates the maintenance costs, labor costs, percentage of the total operating cost and the number of passengers.

Better budgeting

Kanawha County Commissioner Lance Wheeler said at a news conference Monday that he asked KRT a few years ago to look at how they could use their funding better.

"We continue to see empty buses. And that's not because there [were] not individuals who [needed] public transportation or were wanting to use public transportation,� he said. “It was because our system was failing the citizens of Kanawha County, the people who needed that public transportation. Our system was overbearing. Too many routes, too many stops, too many buses sometimes.�

KRTplus expansion

KRT did a study of their operations and began implementing changes last year. A large part of the changes is a shift to the on-demand microtransit program called KRTplus, which has been offering free, on-demand rides since last fall. It currently operates on the West Side, East End and South Hills. Beginning July 14, the service will cost $1.50 per ride.

If the changes are approved by the board, KRTplus will expand to cover the area of the routes that are being cut in South ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä, Kanawha City and Southridge.

KRTplus will operate six days a week from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Hours on the routes that could be cut stretch from around 6 a.m. to just after 7 p.m., depending on the route. Route #18 Fort Hill/Montrose starts at 7:25 a.m. and ends at 4:50 p.m.

How it works

Rides can be scheduled up to two weeks in advance. They can also be scheduled immediately with a 30-minute wait time, typically. The goal is for passengers to be delivered to their stop within 45 minutes of getting on a KRTplus vehicle.

A KRTplus ride can be scheduled and paid for in the KRTplus app or by calling 304-343-7586. Hill said KRT has hired more employees to help people schedule KRTplus rides.

KRTplus works best for three types of rides from any:

• Location in a zone to another location in the same zone
• Location in a zone to a fixed bus route with a free transfer to the bus
• Zone to the West Virginia International Yeager Airport for $12

Measuring success

In May, KRTplus’s cost per passenger was $28.02. Hill said it’s not a “perfect apples-to-apples comparison� of the fixed route costs per passenger. The rate is tough to calculate, Hill said, because on-demand drivers also pick up and drop off paratransit and State Opioid Response Treatment program passengers.

He said it’s been hard to get a “real number� on how successful the program is as the fixed routes have been overlapping with the KRTplus routes.

The KRTplus vehicles are either a smaller KRT bus used for transportation of people in wheelchairs, or one of 14 Ford transit sprinter vans recently purchased by KRT.

Fare changes

Fare changes approved last fall will go into effect on July 14. Day passes will increase $1 to $3.50. Monthly passes will drop $10 to $50.

After these fee changes go into effect, KRT will begin introducing reloadable bus pass cards. Passengers with these cards are eligible for the new fare capping program. Once a passenger with a card has spent $3.50 in a day or $50 in a month, they will no longer be charged.

Cash payments on the bus will still be accepted, but passengers who pay cash are not eligible for fare capping. In addition, fare capping is not an option for KRTplus.

Public comment

Around 10 members of the public came to a public hearing about the changes Tuesday night at the downtown ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä branch of the Kanawha County Public Library. Around half had questions, mostly with concerns about how the changes would impact older residents.

Anthony Hall said West Virginia has an older population. In his West Side neighborhood, he said a lot of low-income seniors use the bus.

“It’s more convenient for them to get on the bus and go to work or go to the grocery store or something than [if] they would have to get this new program started,� he said.

Carlos Gonzales, 67, asked how he would load money on the reloadable card.

“In a lot of ways, I’m still living in the 20th century,� he said. “A lot of this technology is difficult for me.�

Hill said it is KRT’s responsibility to educate riders on the new system, while acknowledging “change is tough.�

Susan Ward, a visually impaired woman, said she had been riding the bus since the 1980s. KRT has made it possible for her to work. The introduction of KRTplus — which uses the same vehicles as the paratransit program — has made her late to work several times, she said.

“Can the priorities still not be on people going to work and people going to medical appointments?� she asked.

Hill acknowledged that there had been issues with scheduling but said KRT had been working with the software company to ensure timely paratransit service.

Robert Williams said, since the 1970s, he had been riding the Beech Avenue bus, which could be cut.

“One of the only constants in the universe is change,� he said. “I understand why you’re doing what you’re doing. I hope there will come a time where you can at least bring back the Sunday routes.�

Hill said that bringing back Sunday routes was a possibility.

“ Our goal is to always get back to providing the service. That you all want and need,� he said. “When we have to live within these budget realities that we make, that’s when the tough decisions come out.�

Hill emphasized that KRT is not cutting service to these areas.

“ That is our way of trying to make our dollars go as far as they possibly can while also recognizing ... KRT connects people to opportunity,� he said Monday. “ We understand and appreciate the responsibility we have for the economy of Kanawha County and getting people to work, getting into school, getting them into doctor's visits, etc.�

Another public hearing is set for Friday. Hill anticipates the KRT board will vote on the route changes this summer.