Residents tell Independence council IRIS paratransit fails are leaving disabled riders stranded

Several residents told the Independence City Council on an unspecified February meeting night that the city’s replacement paratransit service, IRIS, has been unreliable and left disabled riders unable to reach medical appointments, work and other essential services.

The complaints mattered enough that the council postponed consideration of a staff transportation resolution so members and staff could gather more details. Council followed staff guidance to schedule a study-session update on public transit for Feb. 24 and postponed formal consideration of the transportation resolution to the March 3 council meeting.

Why it matters: Speakers described missed pickups, unclear pickup locations and an app that they said does not show accurate addresses or driver information. Several people said the loss of fixed bus routes plus problems with IRIS have sharply limited mobility for elderly and disabled residents.

At the meeting, residents gave repeated examples. Renee Roby, who identified herself as a rider, said she tried to use IRIS “twice in the last month. Both times have been total disasters.” She said IRIS failed to pick her up at her door and routed her to unknown locations. “IRIS doesn’t do any of that,” Roby said, contrasting IRIS with ride-hailing services that send driver names and car descriptions. Roby also invoked the Americans with Disabilities Act, telling the council, “The ADA rule says you have to be 3 quarters of a mile within a fixed route. I am 0.15 tenth of a mile out of that jurisdiction.”

Other speakers, including Lisa Yule and Lisa Alizer (who said she lives in Kansas City but is legally blind), described similar problems: long waits, canceled return trips, small or unclear map areas in the app and drivers in unmarked vehicles. “With the bus, we knew something was coming. With IRIS, we don’t,” Yule said. Mary Tackett, a Teamsters Local 41 representative who noted unionized drivers once provided service, urged restoration of bus service, saying “They need bus service here in Independence.”

City response and next steps: City Manager (name given in the meeting) told the council staff will provide an update in a Feb. 24 study session focused on public transit because a six-month contract will soon expire and the city must make decisions approaching the new fiscal year. He warned the council that maintaining the city’s prior level of transit will require new general-fund money: an additional $3,400,000 next year to sustain prior service levels and up to $5,500,000 by fiscal year 2029–30 if current trends continue.

Council action: Councilmember (unnamed in the public comment segment) moved to postpone the transportation resolution to March 3 to allow staff to prepare additional details after the Feb. 24 study session; the motion carried on roll call (all voting yes). The city manager said staff will bring findings and alternatives back at that time.

What was not decided: The council did not enact any new funding or contract changes at the meeting. No specific funding source or new revenue measure was approved. The council did not replace IRIS or restore fixed-route buses at the meeting.

Local context: Several residents linked transit failures to wider effects on the local economy and daily life, including missed dialysis and cancer treatments, fewer shoppers at local stores and increased reliance on costly ride-hailing services. The city manager described the situation as part of a broader regional transit funding challenge faced by nearby communities.

Ending: The council set a near-term schedule for staff briefings and public review. Residents who spoke urged faster, concrete fixes; city staff signaled the scale of the funding gap but said more analysis and a public process are needed before the council can adopt a funding plan or contract changes.