To secure rides for thousands of FIFA World Cup visitors before prices rise, Johnson County commissioners have agreed to lease fifty shuttle buses for the next two summers.

The fleet of 50 Ford F650 Glaval Concorde III vehicles – each capable of carrying up to 35 passengers – may not fully meet the county’s transportation needs during the international tournament in 2026, but “it was as many as we could get,” said Josh Powers, the county’s transportation director.

“There is a rush across the country to procure vehicles and to get in line for vehicles that have not yet been built,” Powers told commissioners at their meeting Thursday.

He urged the commission to make an exception to standard competition rules and enter into the agreement with Master’s Transportation for the lease. The Belton, Missouri-based company has been a reliable supplier in the past, staff reports say.

The details of the agreement

The $1.5 million lease will use $1.2 million in federal funds, which includes a $300,000 local grant covered by reserves in the county’s transportation budget.

Masters will receive a 10% deposit of $150,000, which will be fully refundable if the agreement is terminated on or before January 1, 2026.

If the county cancels between January 1 and February 28, 2026, the refund will be 50%. No refunds will be available on or after March 1, 2026.

A call for more transport options

Kansas City is one of the host cities for the World Cup, with Arrowhead Stadium at the Truman Sports Complex hosting six games over the course of June and July this summer.

Additionally, the Sheraton Hotel in Overland Park will serve as a base camp for one of the national teams for the event, and Johnson County is expected to host numerous tournament-related events.

This adds up to thousands of people arriving from all over the world, and it creates a lot of crowding in vehicles of all kinds, staff said in their comments.

Earlier this year, the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority and the Mid-America Regional Council released a study recommending new bus routes, including one in Johnson County, to transport visitors to and from the new Kansas City International Airport. But so far, that hasn’t happened.

Commissioner’s comments

The majority of commissioners at last week’s meeting supported the lease as a step to meet the transportation needs of visitors while preserving the needs of the county.

Commissioner Michael Ashcraft noted that while 50 buses sounds like a lot, the Ford vehicles are smaller than normal-sized buses.

Fares and routes of the leased buses are determined by the Commission after the transport staff have examined their use.

Commissioner Charlotte O’Hara was the only one of the seven commissioners to vote against the bus rental. She also opposed the county’s $1.5 million contribution to the Metro Organizing Committee for preparations two months ago.

“In my opinion, Kansas City, Missouri, should have thought about some of these issues when they proposed hosting the World Cup,” O’Hara said.

Chairman Mike Kelly said the county did the right thing by purchasing the buses early so it would be prepared.

“This will be the biggest sporting event in world history, and I don’t mean that in an exaggerated way,” he said.

Although the event is expected to bring unexpected economic success to the region, “it will push the limits of our infrastructure,” he said.