photo by: Lawrence Transit

A Lawrence Transit bus

A board governing Lawrence Transit voted to approve adding a fare to a previously free on-demand bus ride program starting next year as a way to keep the program going as federal grants run out.

Lawrence’s Connected City Advisory Board voted unanimously Monday night to implement a $3 fare for Lawrence Transit On Demand, a service that operates when the fixed-route bus service doesn’t — typically after 8 p.m. every day and all day on Sundays. The city will begin collecting fares on March 1, 2026.

According to a city memo, adding the $3 fare will allow the service to keep operating at its current level. The memo also notes that the city would need around $31,000 in revenue to cover the technology fee for the app that riders use to book the trips. The app that is used for this program was introduced in 2023 and has “doubled the number of trips” that can be completed, according to a press release from the city.

Additionally, the city hopes it can reduce the number of no-show riders, with data showing about 8% of the scheduled trips are booked by people who don’t show up — around 386 trips per month, as the Journal-World reported.

The on-demand service started in 2023 with funds from a Kansas Department of Transportation Access, Innovation, and Collaboration grant. According to the release, Lawrence Transit provided over 89,000 on-demand rides since it was launched. Before that, Lawrence Transit operated an overnight service called Night Line from 2014 to 2022. This service cost $2 per ride and was scheduled by phone.

Payment of fares will be able to be made through the same app that riders book their rides through, the Lawrence Transit On Demand app, or through a web portal. Instructions to help riders prepare for fares will be shared in early 2026.

The current budget includes funding to continue to offer fare free transit for Lawrence Transit’s regular fixed routes and its paratransit services in 2026. Fare free service started as a pilot program in 2023 and is now evaluated on an annual basis for renewal.