Expand MAPS and the Sunshine Lamp Trolley
Public transit is not a luxury. It is how people get to jobs, school, child care, groceries, medical appointments, housing, and community life.
Joplin should protect and expand Metro Area Public Transit System services and the Sunshine Lamp Trolley—not treat them as an afterthought. The City Council has been considering Missouri HealthNet non-emergency medical-transportation reimbursement and state operating assistance for MAPS and the Sunshine Lamp Trolley. These should strengthen service, reliability, access, and safety for riders. Joplin City Council agenda, Sept. 8, 2026
We demand that the Joplin City Council:
- Expand evening, weekend, and early-morning service so transit works for people with nontraditional work schedules.
- Improve routes and frequency connecting residents to hospitals, clinics, grocery stores, schools, workplaces, affordable housing, and social-service offices.
- Reinvest public transit revenue and reimbursement savings into service—not cuts.
- Provide clean, lighted, weather-protected, accessible, and safe transit stops.
- Guarantee accessible service for disabled riders and meaningful language access for riders who need it.
- Publish rider data, missed-trip data, on-time performance, service gaps, and public plans for improvement.
A city that requires people to own a car to survive is not offering real freedom.