The onset of increasing postwar automobile ownership led to continuing declines in bus service hours and profits. In the early 1960s the system - now Kenosha Motor Coach Company - was sold to Lakeshore Transit-Interurban and, in mid-1969, to longtime local school-service transit provider Pathfinder Lines, which finally ceased local transit service in February 1971. A successful citywide referendum then permitted the city of Kenosha to acquire and operate public transit service. City-operated transit service commenced with five routes in September 1971 with four gasoline-engined and one diesel-engined Twin Coach busses, supplanted by several used GMC diesel coaches purchased from Milwaukee and Janesville, Wisconsin (the latter gasoline-powered). The color-coded route designations were supplanted by a route-numbering system. By April 1975, 24 new GMC coaches (designated the 500 series) were introduced into service. By 1980 several new GMC Rapid Transit Series (RTS) coaches were added to the growing fleet. By the 21st century the active KAT bus fleet included buses built by Orion Bus Industries, Gillig (including several Gillig Phantoms), Nova Bus and Flxible. Today's fleet consists of Gillig and New Flyer buses.