The trolley stops here now

As the old saying goes: Now you’re on the trolley! In early January, the Capital Area Transit System launched the Garden District trolley to bring riders to and from downtown. The trolley, which previously only served downtown, winds its way throughout the historic neighborhood and even treks along the Perkins Road overpass area to the Southdowns neighborhood before looping back to downtown.

For residents of those more residential neighborhoods, that could mean trips to downtown or the overpass area for dinner or events without having to worry about tracking down parking.

“We’re just looking to grow the ridership and trying out some new things to attract some new riders to the system,” Amie McNaylor of CATS says.

The new service is part of a $1 million expansion aimed at residents not dependent on the bus system.

The trolley comes on the heels of additional routes for regular CATS buses and amid construction of about 30 much-need lighted bus shelters where there were previously only bus stop signs along the curbs. They have also refurbished more than 40 old shelters. It’s all part of a push to make public transportation more appealing and convenient for a city that voted in 2012 to fund improvements to the system.

CATS officials are also considering gradually switching its 81-vehicle fleet from diesel to electric vehicles based on a commissioned study by the University of New Orleans Transportation Institute, which wrapped up in January. About half of the fleet is 10 years old or older.

Two new bus routes will start in March—one linking Tigerland and downtown and another linking the LSU campus with the main CATS terminal on Florida Boulevard.

While there is no trolley service on Sundays, it runs Monday-Saturday until 10 p.m., every half hour during the week and every hour on Saturdays. Bus/trolley stop signs added in the neighborhoods will alert riders to on and off locations. Cost is $1.75 per ride and 35 cents for students with an ID and seniors.

Find out more information at brcats.com.