Davids Rides Johnson County Airport Shuttle, Highlights Success of Pilot Program

September 11, 2026 Press Release Today, Representative Sharice Davids rode Johnson County United’s Airport Drop & Ride from the Overland Park Convention Center to Kansas City International Airport, highlighting the success of the soon-closing public transit service and the demand for convenient, reliable transportation options in Johnson County. “People want transportation options that are easy, reliable, and affordable — and this service has shown exactly what that can look like in Johnson County,” said Davids . “More than 6,000 people chose to ride these buses during the World Cup and after, and the overwhelming majority of riders said they had an excellent experience and would recommend the service. We should take what we learned from this pilot and use it to build a stronger public transportation system that works for Johnson County families, workers, and visitors.” Watch Davids speak on the success of Johnson County United’s Airport Drop & Ride shuttle. Johnson County United’s Airport Drop & Ride has provided free, direct service between Kansas City International Airport, the Overland Park Convention Center and Lenexa City Center during the summer. The service has provided 6,635 rides through August 31, including more than 4,500 rides through July 16. According to the Johnson County Public Works & Infrastructure Department, riders gave the service overwhelmingly positive reviews: 96.2 percent rated their experience “excellent,” with another 3.27 percent rating it “good.” 97.57 percent said they were “very likely” to recommend the service. 95.45 percent cited the comfort and cleanliness of the buses as something they liked most. 90.27 percent said the service was easy to use. 88.79 percent cited on-time arrival as a positive. If the shuttle had not been available, 35.7 percent said they would have relied on a family member or friend for a ride, while 30.3 percent said they would have used Uber or Lyft. The service was designed as part of Johnson County’s temporary transportation network surrounding the 2026 FIFA World Cup, but county data showed that Johnson County residents used the airport shuttle for more than just World Cup-related travel. In a survey reported by the Johnson County Post , 73 percent of riders said they were using the service for vacation or personal travel, and 12 percent for business travel. County officials have viewed the temporary service as a pilot to gather data and operational experience that could inform the future of transit in the county. "This pilot program represents an unprecedented investment in Johnson County transit, combining federal, state, and local dollars," said Mike Kelly, Chairman, Johnson County Board of Commissioners . "We built the JoCo United Airport Drop & Ride to move World Cup visitors efficiently, but it's Johnson County residents who have embraced it, using it as a fast, free and convenient way to get to the airport." Davids has long advocated for federal investment in public transportation and helped pass the bipartisan infrastructure law as a member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. The law represents the largest federal investment in public transportation in the nation’s history and delivered record funding to modernize Kansas City’s public transit network. Davids secured more than $49.3 million in direct federal formula funding for Kansas public transit systems in the first allocation under the bipartisan infrastructure law. Working alongside Representative Emanuel Cleaver, Davids secured $14.88 million for the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority (KCATA). The funding supported renovations to bus facilities, new electric charging infrastructure and the development of high-capacity, zero-emission transit corridors across the Kansas City region. Issues : Transportation & Infrastructure