By ROBIN SHANNON

L’Observateur

LAPLACE – Less than five months after adding another bus to its existing fleet, officials with the fast-growing River Parishes Transit System said this week they have again put in requests for additional shuttles to serve the area.

Citing an ever-growing population of regular riders, Transit Authority Vice-Chair Helen Banquer said the board is looking into adding two additional buses to the existing four already on the road.

“Ridership grows by the month, and every day we are loaded to capacity,” Banquer said. “We are to the point where we are struggling to meet the demand that is out there for public transportation in the region.”

The bus system, which operates throughout St. John and St. Charles parishes and also links to a service in St. James, transported more than 17,000 riders on roughly 13,000 one-way trips throughout the region between January and May. The system typically averages more than 70 trips per day.

“It is a service that was long overdue for this region, and now that we have it we see just how much it was needed,” Banquer said. “Our riders are always asking for more service, and we hope to eventually give it to them.”

Banquer said funding is in place to purchase two additional 12-passenger shuttles, which have been on order for more than a month. The problem is waiting for the manufacturer to process requests.

“We have learned that you can’t just order a bus like you would a car,” Banquer said. “When the manufacturer gets enough requests, they start to make more buses, so we are at the whim of the manufacturer.”

Banquer said the system is sticking with the smaller sized buses because it fits the need of the regional system. The shuttle-sized vehicles can fit into neighborhoods and allow for the door-to-door service style the system offers.

“We don’t run fixed routes like larger cities do,” she said. “We need vehicles that can accommodate smaller streets.”

Banquer also said the transit authority has been working with the St. John Parish School System to assist in the transportation of students during after school extra-curricular activities. She said the system is working closely with the school system to work out arrangements.

“When you have a group of say nine or 10 kids involved in an after-school function who need transportation, it is a lot cheaper for them to pay the $2 fare to ride our bus than it is for the school system to provide bus service,” Banquer said. “It is an opportunity for the school system to safely transport students and save money.”

The RPTA has contracted with Veolia Transportation, a company that runs public transit systems in Jefferson and Orleans parishes, to oversee operations. Parish governments in St. John and St. Charles pledged contributions of $125,000 for three years to go toward the service’s annual operating budget of $1.2 million. Additional funding comes through state and federal grants through the Department of Transportation, the Federal Transit Administration and the United Way.

The current service is an on-demand bus system, which means riders must contact a dispatcher to book trips 24 hours in advance by calling 985-651-1141 or toll free 877-651-1171 weekdays between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. The bus picks up anywhere within the two parishes and will pull up to people’s front doors. The buses operate Monday through Friday from 5:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., and the fare is $2 per trip.