Wichita rolls out free Saturday bus rides during coronavirus pandemic

Wichita’s city bus routes will be free on Saturdays until the end of June to help people get around town during the coronavirus pandemic, Mayor Brandon Whipple announced Thursday.

“The purpose of it is to not only give people who might need access to transportation a break on Saturdays,” Whipple said. “But also, particularly in this crisis — where people are short on cash and still need to get to places — the bus on Saturdays will be completely free.”

The free rides start this weekend and include all 16 of the city’s Saturday routes.

“All of them go out to basically the edges of the city and then come back and connect downtown,” said Nathaniel Hinkel, spokesperson for Wichita Transit. “So you can use multiple bus routes to travel where you need to within the city.”

Unlike some of the larger cities in the United States, Wichita has kept its public transportation system open throughout the COVID-19 crisis. Disinfection on the buses has increased during the pandemic, Whipple said, “ensuring that are buses are as safe as possible.”

Bus drivers are outfitted with N-95 masks, Hinkel said, and passengers are also encouraged to wear masks or face coverings.

“We have free face coverings available to riders at the downtown Transit Center,” he said.

The city is also limiting the number of passengers on each bus to half of its regular seating capacity by blocking off one seat for every seat that’s available, he said.

Riders are also encouraged to maintain 6-feet of social distancing at bus stops and on buses when possible, he said.

Whipple said the idea for free bus routes came from someone who sent him an email.

“I had an email earlier this week from a constituent who asked if we could offer some type of bus pass during the coronavirus because there are those who are out of work, and they may not have the money for bus fare or for gas and need a way to get to the supermarket and back or to food pantries or other services,” he said.

“That’s the type of stuff that I think really shows the quality of our community, where some of the best ideas actually come from just people who are observing what’s going on and being able to reach out and email us with an idea and have it turned into policy.”