By ROBIN SHANNON

Staff Reporter

LAPLACE – River Parish residents who lack a reliable mode of transportation are mobile again thanks to a regional bus service that, officials say, has far surpassed original ridership estimates.

Three 12-passenger vehicles are on the move in St. John and St. Charles Parishes bringing residents to and from grocery stores, doctor’s appointments, schools or anywhere else they may want to go.

“Let me tell you, this is truly a blessing for me,” said LaPlace resident Mary Black, who used the bus service Monday to get to an appointment near River Parishes Hospital. “This is cheap, easy and reliable.”

The River Parishes Transit Authority officially rolled its buses out on the road Jan. 30 with little fanfare and a handful of riders, but after word of mouth spread ridership levels exploded.

“We are offering an alternative that wasn’t there in the past,” said Aislinn Costello, operations manager for the RPTA. “There has been such a demand for it.”

After the first day of the first week of operation, Costello said the service recorded six riders total for the day, but the week ended strong with a grand total of 88. The following week, the ridership number doubled to 177.

“Word is getting out and people are talking about their experiences with the bus service,” Costello said. “We expected to see growth over time, but we thought it would be slow growth. It’s very exciting and we are getting nothing but positive feedback.”

For a one-way fare of $2, riders can be picked up and taken anywhere within St. John and St. Charles Parishes. The service connects with the Jefferson Parish transit system in Kenner and also to the St. James Parish transit system. Officials are also working toward plugging the system into the LA Swift bus system that runs between New Orleans and Baton Rouge.

“Ideally, a rider in St. John could travel from LaPlace to New Orleans to Baton Rouge and back again all through public transportation,” said RPTA Vice Chair Helen Banquer. “It’s a system that has been long overdue.”

Banquer said the service started with three buses in full time operation that are handling riders on the East Bank and West Bank of both St. John and St. Charles Parishes. Drivers are assisted by onboard GPS navigation and each bus is equipped with chair lifts and two positions for wheelchair riders.

A fourth bus sits in reserve at the RPTA’s offices on Woodland Drive in LaPlace. Banquer said the transit authority would examine early ridership to see if additional vehicles are needed. 

The transit authority 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.

The service is an on-demand bus system, which means riders must contact a dispatcher to book trips 24 hours in advance. The bus picks up anywhere within the two parishes and will pull up to people’s front doors. Costello said estimated pickup times are given based on the number of reservations and routes. The buses operate Monday through Friday from 5:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.

In order to connect to the St. James system, which operates in a similar fashion, Costello said riders would need to give two days notice so that RPTA can coordinate with St. James Transit’s schedule.

Black, who was using the service for the first time Monday, said before the buses were in service she had no reliable way to get to and from multiple doctors appointments.

“I had to call for a cab that charged $10 for a short trip to the hospital,” said Black, who moved in with her daughter after living in New Orleans most of her life. “I’m on a very fixed income and it was becoming hard to spend that much on transportation. This service is truly a godsend for me.”

Riders interested in using the service can book trips by calling 985-651-1141 or 877-651-1171.