Staff Reporter

LAPLACE �“ Years of planning finally paid off Monday as the River Parishes Transit Authority officially rolled out a public transportation system for St. John and St. Charles parishes.

The office started taking calls to schedule trips on Friday and the first buses rolled through the parish at 5:30 a.m. Monday morning. Brent Petit, RPTA Chairman, said riders looking to participate in the bus service must call to schedule trips 24 hours in advance. He said riders may call 985.651.1141 or 877.651.1171 any weekday between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. to schedule an appointment. He said estimated pickup times would be given based on the number of reservations and the routes being traveled. Buses will run Monday through Friday from 5:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.

For a one-way fare of $2, residents will be able to travel throughout St. John and St. Charles parishes. Petit said the new system would connect with an existing transit system in St. James Parish, as well as a “park and ride” system in Kenner. Petit said riders planning on scheduling a transfer to the St. James system must also contact St. James Transit at 225.562.2352 to schedule the trip because operating hours differ.

Petit said RPTA has contracted with Veolia Transportation to run the shuttle service. He said the company will begin operation with three 12-person vehicles, but the plan is to add additional shuttles as the program progresses. Both St. John and St. Charles pledged $125,000 for three years toward the $1.2 million operating budget for the system.

Petit said RPTA also received a $150,000 grant from the United Way of St. Charles to help with operating costs.