Johnson County directs staff to pursue $2M MARC grant to pilot KCI'Overland Park airport shuttle ahead of World Cup 2026

The Johnson County Board of County Commissioners directed staff to bring forward acceptance of a $2,000,000 Mid America Regional Council (MARC) grant to fund a pilot airport shuttle connecting Kansas City International Airport (KCI) with the Overland Park Convention Center and Lenexa City Center in advance of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Transit staff presented draft service concepts, cost estimates and funding sources and sought board direction to pursue the MARC grant. Josh Powers of Johnson County Transit described an airport pilot envisioned to run with four vehicles in service (six total including spares) at 20-minute headways, roughly 18 hours per day (5 a.m. to 11 p.m.). Staff estimated the pilot's operating cost at about $10,000 per day and said the MARC board had approved a $2,000,000 grant for airport service support.

Powers and staff explained the county previously authorized pursuing a lease of up to 50 35-passenger vehicles; leasing all 50 would cost about $1,500,000 in total and is priced at about $8,000 per unit per month. For a separate circulator concept to ferry visitors to a FIFA fan fest at the Liberty Memorial/Union Station area, staff sketched a potential 6-vehicle route on 30-minute headways for roughly 61 days (June'1 through end of July) with an estimated cost of $1,720,000 (labor roughly $1.5 million, $96,000 vehicle lease, $80,000 operator housing). That circulator had no fully identified funding source in staff's presentation.

Staff summarized available federal and partner funding: FTA funds could contribute to vehicle leases (staff identified about $77,000 federal and $19,000 county available for six vehicles); federal assistance of up to $1,200,000 could be available for leasing up to 50 vehicles subject to a local match of up to $300,000. Staff presented a consolidated estimate for the airport pilot plus a circulator and vehicle leases of about $4.32 million, with $2.077 million in currently identified federal funds and a local-match requirement of approximately $619,000, leaving a projected shortfall of about $1.63 million for the combined package. Under the staff scenario for the airport pilot, Johnson County Transit's direct financial commitment would be about $219,000, with staff pursuing about $400,000 of additional match from partner jurisdictions or stakeholders.

Commissioners asked about coordination with hotels and private shuttles, sponsorship and bus-wrap revenue, Amtrak connections and the possibility of charging fares for event services. Josh Powers said county staff had reached out to hotels but had found limits to using hotel shuttles for shared public service due to operator concerns; hotels would likely meet passengers at the convention-center base camp and provide last-mile service to individual hotel doors. On fares, staff said the current analysis presented service costs without fare revenue assumptions and that fare policy and collection would be a separate discussion.

Chairman Mike Kelly and several commissioners praised staff's advance planning. Kelly said the county's preparedness and the MARC grant put the county "in a unique position to be able to leverage those impacts." Commissioners raised the potential for sponsorship revenue and regional coordination. Commissioner Brewer noted the vehicles proposed for lease are suitable for either airport or circulator use and could be flexed between assignments.

The board then voted on a motion directing staff to bring an item to the full BOCC to accept the MARC grant for the airport pilot. The motion was moved by Commissioner Hanslick and seconded by Commissioner Allen Brand; the clerk called the roll and the motion passed on a 7-0 recorded vote (Commissioner Ashcraft recorded his vote "with reservations, yes").

Next steps: staff will prepare the formal grant-acceptance item for Board of County Commissioners action, pursue partner contributions for the local match, continue regional coordination through the KC 2026 transportation working group and further refine circulator concepts and funding options.

Ending: Commissioners emphasized that the airport pilot decision is the immediate action and that the circulator remains a staff concept requiring additional partner commitments and funding before the board will consider it for formal approval.