It's Friday! What are your weekend plans? Are we invited?

☀️ Today's weather: Sunny with highs in the upper 60s.

• FINALLY!!!

🎶 Sounds like: "Love Takes Miles" by Cameron Winter.

Today’s newsletter is 967 words — a 3.5-minute read.

Kansas City riders spent less of their income on transit fares than riders in any other big U.S. metro, earning the region the top spot for transit affordability in a new national ranking.

Why it matters: The cost of ridership plays a big part in who opts in to use public transit, even as low funding threatens bus access for those who need low-cost transit the most.

Zoom in: ConsumerAffairs used federal data to rank transit in the 50 largest U.S. metros. KC came in No. 12 overall.

• It ranked 39th for ridership and accessibility, which measures how often people ride, how far they go and whether stations are accessible.

Between the lines: The ranking relies on 2024 data, when the metro's RideKC buses were free. Riders have paid $2 a trip since June.

State of play: RideKC reinstated fares in June to help close a budget gap. In July, the first full month with fares, ridership fell about 45% from a year earlier, according to KCATA.

• Every route lost riders, with declines of roughly 50% on Prospect MAX and Troost MAX. That's despite the World Cup, when some routes saw ridership jump by more than 36%.
• KCATA planned to cut nine routes in September before the city approved $8.3 million to keep the lines going until April, KCUR reported.

How it works: RideKC, which operates the bus network, caps riders' spending.

• Buses no longer take cash. Riders who tap the same card or phone every time stop paying once they hit $4 in a day, $20 in a week or $62.50 in 30 days.
• Kids under 6 ride free, and kids 6 to 18, seniors, people with disabilities and low-income riders pay $1, with caps cut in half.

The intrigue: The KC Streetcar, which is free, had its best month ever in June, carrying nearly 700,000 trips, helped by World Cup crowds and a new line to the riverfront.

💭 Abbey's thought bubble: A free streetcar ride beats circling the Crossroads for a parking spot on a First Friday.

💭 Travis' thought bubble: We just got back from Atlanta, where its streetcar costs $1 per ride or $3 for a day pass. It was darn near empty.

What's next: United Way plans to offer free bus passes for qualifying riders later in 2026, and the city and KCATA have until April to set next year's service levels.

Kansas City residents logged around 165 walking miles per person in 2024, or just under half a mile a day.

The big picture: That puts KC at No. 52 out of the country's 100 largest cities in a new report from StreetLight, a transportation data firm, and above the national average of around 150 miles.

Zoom in: The report lists each state's busiest spots for walking and biking, and the Tanger outlet mall at Legends in KCK ranked first for walking in Kansas.

• Shawnee's Gary L. Haller and Mill Creek trails topped the state for biking.
• Missouri's busiest walking spot is the Saint Louis Zoo.

💭 Abbey's thought bubble: I walk every morning, so I'm doing my part to keep KC above the national average. The Legends shoppers can cover the rest.

Zoom out: Orlando led the country with more than 650 walking miles per person, and StreetLight says tourists at places like Disney World help explain it.

• St. Louis ranked 10th with around 275 miles.
• Omaha nearly matched KC, and Wichita landed at around 130.

State of play: The metro is adding walking routes. A $15 million bridge for pedestrians and cyclists opened in May, linking the River Market to the riverfront.

What's next: Southwest Boulevard is getting new bike lanes as part of a two-phase overhaul. The first phase is done, and the second started this summer and runs through next spring.

Kansas Citians don't do a lot of biking, according to transportation data firm StreetLight's analysis, but efforts are underway to change that.

The big picture: Locals bike an average of 13 miles a year, well below the national average of 23 miles.

• That puts us in the bottom quarter of miles traveled per capita among the country's 100 largest cities.

Zoom in: Kansas City is working on a new bikeways and trails plan, which would add bike lanes and connect existing trails across the city.

• The Mid America Regional Council's 2026 bike plan update identifies priority routes across the metro that would have the greatest impact in increasing bike trips.

Context: KC's low bike miles traveled ranking coincides with a low fitness index score from the American College of Sports Medicine, which noted fewer opportunities in KC to incorporate exercise into daily life.

What's next: The city's next public meeting about the bikeways plan is Oct. 5, 5:30 pm at the Southeast Community Center.

💰 The Jackson County Legislature voted 7-0 this week to override two vetoes from County Executive Phil LeVota, clearing the way for property tax levy increases he had tried to block. (FOX4)

🏠 The share of KC tenants with a lawyer in eviction court roughly tripled from 2018 to 2024, thanks in part to the city's free legal help program, and fewer cases ended in evictions. (Flatland KC)

🛏️ Shelter KC increased its capacity after a renovation, expanding space for people seeking emergency shelter in Kansas City. (FOX4)

📺 Abbey needs to know which series she should binge next. Fantastic recommendations only.

🏁 Travis is off to another adventure race this weekend — this time with bug spray.

Edited by Delano Massey, who needs a bike.