Bus line service increases scheduled to begin January 2014

6th January 2014 · 0 Comments

The Regional Transit Authority (RTA) has announced an increase in bus service started January 5, 2014.

The increase comes as part of the recent 2014 budget approval which also includes increasing later evening access, providing more service in Orleans Parish and increasing trips on the Saturday bus lines.

According to RTA, the service changes are the Board of Commissioners’ investment in more bus service in Orleans Parish.

“Over the last year, the Board of Commissioners have heard from community members and neighborhood associations about the importance of transit services as an engine of economic opportunity in helping people get to jobs and school,” said Patrice Bell Mercadel, RTA’s director of marketing and communications.

“Year-to-date, total ridership (bus, streetcar and paratransit) is up 12.3 percent through the end of November,” Mercadel said.

According to Mercadel, the RTA carried 17,202,604 riders through the end of November 2013 compared with 15,312,003 in November 2012.

“Since 2009 and year-end 2012, ridership has increased 42.2 percent for bus and streetcar services, with the most significant increase (63.5%) coming from bus as the City has repopulated,” Mercadel said.

The additional routes are as follows:

Additional weekday buses will be added to Line 16 – S. Claiborne; Line 57 – Franklin; Line 64 – Lake Forest Express.

Additional later evening trips will be added in Algiers (Line 100 – Algiers Owl Loop and 114 – General De Gaulle), New Orleans East (Line 62 – Morrison), Gentilly (Line 84 – Galvez), Lower 9th Ward (Line 84 – Galvez) and Mid-City and St. Thomas (Line 91 – Jackson-Esplanade).

For Algiers residents going home from downtown after 10 p.m. to the Garden Oaks and Vespasian neighborhoods, travel times will be reduced by 40 minutes with new trips on Line 114 – General De Gaulle service.

On Saturdays, additional buses will be added to 52 – St. Bernard–St. Anthony, 62 – Morrison Express, 94 – Broad and additional trips to 51 – St. Bernard–Senate.

For detailed information about the service enhancements, visit www.norta.com or call 504-248-5900.

You can follow more news and updates from David T. Baker on Twitter @Tadfly. This article originally published in the January 6, 2014 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper.