Kannapolis City Council Eliminates Brown Bus Route in Cost-Cutting Move

The Kannapolis City Council voted to eliminate the brown bus route and may cut back service on the blue line starting in July. This happened on Monday as council members tried to save money.

The brown line runs to the Amtrak station and the post office on Dale Earnhardt Boulevard. Riders who depend on it are worried.

"We need that brown route," rider Patricia Reid said, according to WBTV. "People like me need it. I'm 76 years old and I don't drive no more."

Reid said the cuts will hurt riders who get a set amount of income each month. "It hurts people like me," she said. "We're on fixed income. We get paid once a month, and we got to do what we got to do to survive out here."

Councilwoman Naomi Hatchell defended what the council decided at Monday's meeting. "A lot of the funding for this public transit is funded by the residents of our city, and many of those residents don't use it," Hatchell said. "As we sit here, we really do have a responsibility to ensure that those resources are being used in the most effective way possible."

Removing the brown route will lower what the city pays each year to 21% instead of 35% of the current operating cost. Council members say this shows a shift in how Kannapolis handles transit spending.

Changes to the blue line might also happen. Joseph Wray, another rider, said losing service will force him to use rideshare apps.

"It's up in the $25 to $30 area margin from my house to where I have to go," Wray said. "So it is a little expensive for me versus being able to buy a bus pass for a couple of months."

The council wants to convert some or all routes to an Uber-style approach within three years. This would replace the old fixed-route bus system.

Reid said she hopes officials will reconsider. "We need that route," Reid said. "And I pray we keep it."