Uptown Messenger (https://uptownmessenger.com/tag/rta/)
The New Orleans Regional Transit Authority will introduce its revamped New Links routes and schedule on Sunday (Sept. 25). To mark the occasion, it is offering a four-day free fare promotion from Sunday to Thursday (Sept. 28). The free fares will allow riders to adjust to RTA’s bus system redesign with new routes without having to pay for their trips.
For the past two years, a group of planners has been working to turn around public transportation in New Orleans and the rest of the region. It is now seeking feedback on its New Links report, a plan for our buses and streetcars, reimagined with the idea that the system needs to serve more people more efficiently. New Links is a project of the Regional Planning Commission, building on long-range strategic plans by the New Orleans Regional Transit Authority and Jefferson Transit. Planners gathered public feedback and crunched numbers to come up with a transit design that takes existing resources and organizes them in a more effective way. During Phase 1 of the project in the summer and fall of 2019, the planners collected more than 1,000 surveys and held 75 public meetings, including open houses, community meetings and pop-up events.
Beginning Sunday (March 29) in response to COVID-19 pandemic, the New Orleans Regional Transit Authority is further reducing its service. Some routes will remain on a Saturday schedule, other lines will run less frequently and some routes will be eliminated during the coronavirus crisis. In addition, the RTA will waive transit fares for bus, streetcar and ferry service until further notice. The RTA continues to urge the community to use public transit for essential travel only and for riders to practice social distancing when using transit. Service suspended
The 11 Magazine, 15 Freret and 90 Carrollton buses will suspend service altogether from Sunday until further notice.
