Posted on: Jun 26, 2024

inFOCUS Five-Year Strategic Plan Charts Path for KCATA Success

June 26, 2024 (Kansas City, Mo.) - Today the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority (KCATA) publicly released its inFOCUS Strategic Plan (pdf), a five-year outlook that serves as a blueprint for success and a renewed dedication to the agency's mission to connect all people to opportunities.

KCATA is one of the few bi-state authorities in the country. As such, it has developed a strategic plan in response to the region's current and future mobility needs, setting an ambitious agenda to keep the agency at the forefront of transportation leadership through 2030 and beyond. The acronym FOCUS represents the plan's five strategic goals: 1) Finance; 2) Organization; 3) Customer Experience; 4) Unified Region; and 5) System Development.

"Our commitment to excellence has always been at the core of our mission," KCATA Chief Executive Officer Frank White, III said. "The vital job of connecting all people to opportunities doesn't stop at state, county or municipal borders. As the bi-state agency that transcends those boundaries we don't take that responsibility lightly."

The KCATA Board of Commissioners adopted the plan in February, charging CEO White, the executive leadership team and themselves with implementation starting with the FY 2025 budget year.

A Collaboratively Developed Plan

inFOCUS represents a phased approach and was developed collaboratively by the agency and KCATA's Board of Commissioners with input from local and regional stakeholders, outlining how the agency can better adapt to the needs of the region.

"Moving people is at the heart of what we do and by prioritizing reliability, accessibility and safety, we are committed to developing a transit system that strengthens public confidence and promotes greater mobility options," Chairman Reginald Townsend stated. "inFOCUS is the framework of our commitment to develop a world-class multimodal system. My fellow commissioners and I look forward to working with regional partners to turn this vision into reality for our customers and other stakeholders."

KCATA convened industry experts, held conversations with leaders across the region, solicited feedback from all levels within the organization, and surveyed stakeholders to better understand viewpoints. The result was a strategic plan that responds to local, regional and national trends and challenges. This includes a rapidly growing region and a need for new funding sources, greater regional service delivery, pandemic shifts in consumer travel patterns, and evolving workforce trends.

The plan also recommends KCATA support the region's preparations for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Oversight of strategic plan implementation is tasked to Commissioner Julie Lorenz, who previously served as Kansas Secretary of Transportation. She is also serving as Senior Advisor for Transportation for KC2026, the nonprofit organization in charge of planning and executing the World Cup.

"The inFOCUS plan provides a vision for improved mobility for all. This is most important as one of only 11 U.S. cities hosting 2026 FIFA World Cup matches, providing us an exceptional opportunity to showcase Kansas City on a global stage," Lorenz said. "Thousands of people will be visiting for the first time, and our successful accommodation of those guests means they need to be able to navigate our region seamlessly. My hope is that the region will come together to support this strategic plan as a meaningful step toward the goal of developing a regional, multimodal system that serves us now, for the World Cup, and into the future."

Refreshed Vision, Mission, Goals and Core Values

The inFOCUS strategic plan presented an opportunity for KCATA to refresh its vision and mission statements, core values and goals.

Vision: Enhance lives in our region through reliable and convenient mobility options.

Mission: Connect all people to opportunities.

Core Values: Safety and Security, Customer Focus, Respect and Integrity, Fiscal Sustainability, Collaboration

Goals/Major Initiatives: The outcome of the inFOCUS plan is a program of strategies and initiatives that help further KCATA's five strategic goals:

• Finance - To be fully financially sustainable with dedicated funding sources.
• Organization - Strengthen the engaged and empowered workforce.
• Customer Experience - Provide reliable, convenient and equitable mobility alternatives.
• Unified Region - Support a thriving region through environmental sustainability, development and access to opportunity.
• System Development - Collaboratively lead the region in delivering mobility options.

Through inFOCUS, KCATA strives to be the regional integrator of mobility solutions. This will be done through a holistic emphasis on the entire passenger experience and coordination across the region.

To learn more, download the full report at https://www.kcata.org/inFocus

About KCATA

The Kansas City Area Transportation Authority (KCATA) is managed by a 10-member Board of Commissioners representing seven counties in Missouri and Kansas. It is chaired by Reginald Townsend. KCATA strives to provide a safe, reliable and innovative transportation system that meets the changing needs of metropolitan Kansas City. In addition to providing high quality transit services, KCATA is an employer as well as a partner of business and other community organizations.

For more information about KCATA visit https://www.kcata.org/. For rider information visit https://ridekc.org.

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