INDReporter

Commuter bus service LA Swift extended until July

by Walter Pierce

Plans had been to shut down LA Swift on June 30 because federal money for the bus service is shrinking.

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - LA Swift, the commuter bus service between Baton Rouge and New Orleans, will continue operating through July.

The Department of Transportation and Development announced Thursday that it will extend the service until July 31, giving local officials time to find money to keep operating the bus system.

Plans had been to shut down LA Swift on June 30 because federal money for the bus service is shrinking.

DOTD says it would cost $750,000 annually to fill the gap for the $2.3 million program. The state has decided against paying for it.

The bus service began in October 2005 to help people displaced by Hurricane Katrina get to New Orleans. It's expanded into a regular means of transportation for some commuters.

LA Swift costs $10 for a roundtrip ticket.