I had to go to Kansas City yesterday to take care of business. I decided to go multi-modal.
Mode #1 was our Honda Civic. One could fly to KC from Springfield if one wished to pay more than $600 to do so (according to my search of Expedia for a booking with 5 days advanced notice). Driving time is just a bit over three hours driving at the speed limit.
One could also take a bus, but the arrival and departure times are apparently designed to ensure that only disparate and/or economically-disadvantaged people use the bus. There are only two buses per day each way. You can leave Springfield at 8:15 p.m. and arrive 3h 55m later. Or you can leave at 11:25 p.m. and arrive 6h 25m later. From Kansas City you can leave at 12:45 p.m. and arrive 3h 55m later (a bit more reasonable) or leave at 11:20 p.m. and arrive 6h 40m later.
Further, on both ends of the trip, there is inadequate public transportation to help you along your way.
I have a difficult time believing that the bus companies couldn’t make money with KC-SGF express service — one in the morning and one in the afternoon.
So I drove our car and took my Brompton. My folding bicycle allowed me to park in a central location — The Plaza. From there it was an easy ride to UMKC for my appointment with one of my former professors to discuss a book project I’m working on (not bicycling related). Afterward, I rode back across The Plaza into Wesport for lunch. I also checked out the bicycling scene in the three areas.
In short: Lots more people on bicycles than I remember from my 20 years in Kansas City
I earned my Ph.D. at UMKC. Over those years I do not recall anything like the number of bicycles I saw on campus yesterday. Part of the reason is the Clean Commute program that offers students the free use of bicycles. Bikes were parked everywhere and locked to all manner of fixed objects, including railings, building signs, and small trees. The university is adding parking, according to the U-News. From what I saw, they need to hurry 
I estimate I covered almost five miles on my bicycle riding “like I mean it” — a smooth experience on city streets. No honks. No problems.