Was a professional transportation planner involved creating these routes, ensuring the numbers jive? This would include projected population usage/density, linking with job centers, university/schools, and entertainment areas? Where can that be found?
CATS Terminal and EKL Hub
- What's the reasoning behind keeping the Earl K. Long hub when the hospital is now closed. Shifting it to the Scotlandville Commercial Area would make it similar to using downtown and the malls as hubs.
- The CATS terminal still has a lot of routes terminating. It just seems like those routes should hub downtown. Especially since LA Swift no longer operates and many routes already pass by the Greyhound Station headed to the downtown hub.
Downtown Shuttle
The DDD could be approached concerning Route 16. Combining a little extra funding from both the DDD and CATS could expand its time period past lunch, and ultimately it's footprint. Most downtowns use their shuttles for special events and not just lunch, since the service is already being funded. Things such as neighborhood integration for Live After Five. Or service for football game days. Other university towns don't use a glamorous $20 shuttle to get people downtown to the university. Instead, they use their shuttles to provide free parking downtown, and circulate all day. It's a win/win for the downtown because they already pay for the shuttle, and it encourages people to tailgate on campus then watch the game downtown. Or visa/versa. Right now the "shuttle" is used as an "attraction" and not a viable transportation source. Lastly, the shuttle could be used for night service into adjacent neighborhoods for a new ridership base. The funding for the shuttle is already subsidized by the DDD. Adding some extra would boost ridership tremendously (ie more federal funding).
Foster Drive and Acadian Thruway
Route 20 seems to be obsolete, yet runs frequently. All riders on this route will have to make a transfer one way or another, as it terminates at the CATS terminal. Combining it with Route 17 would give a citywide connection up and down Acadian. Same thing with Route 23. Combining it with Route 18 would lessen transfers. Right now it terminates at CitiPlace, which doesn't seem like a major destination (as compared to LSU). Thus most people will be transferring.
Neighborhood Routes
The Plank, Scenic, Government, Perkins, and Highland Routes are great spur routes that not only serve neighborhood populations during the day, but also at night. Government Street and Perkins should be added. These routes would work great for expanded night hours and add younger, new ridership. The Highland Route is somewhat a duplication of the LSU service (I already see a CATS bus following an LSU bus frequently).
Industry Routes
Given the hospital route connects the medical districts, the hospitals should be approached to assure staff will utilize the shuttle. Many medical districts in the country provide transportation and it's widely successful, thus an opportunity to bring about another source of possible funding assistance. Also, were other commercial, employment centers, and SU/BRCC engaged for possible funding? Many cities and transit agencies gain much of their funding for specific routes through these entities. I realize CATS lost LSU, but there is no reason to engage other large areas.
Routes Outside the City
Route 50 is mostly outside of the city, is one of the few routes that runs frequently, and only brings the small neighborhood to the hub at the missing EKL. This is also true of Route 59, which seems more centric for people outside the city.
Lastly, while overhauling the system CATS should also be looking at expanding their base (ie younger people needing transportation after 2:00).