INDReporter

UL, LCG seeking bus service expansion

by Walter Pierce

The City-Parish Council on Tuesday will be asked to sign off on an agreement between UL Lafayette and Lafayette Consolidated Government that would expand mass transit opportunities for UL students by adding five additional buses to its shuttle run between Cajun Field and campus.

Lafayette Transit buses that run on compressed natural gas could be added to UL
Lafayette's student-shuttle fleet, which would not only help UL meet demand
but would aid local government in securing federal dollars.

The City-Parish Council on Tuesday will be asked to sign off on an agreement between UL Lafayette and Lafayette Consolidated Government that would expand mass transit opportunities for UL students by adding five additional buses to its shuttle run between Cajun Field and campus. The additional buses would be leased from LCG and would bulk up the university's current fleet of 11 buses and three shuttles.

The most unique aspect of the arrangement is that university faculty, staff and students would be able to use Lafayette Transit buses to travel anywhere in the city for free by showing their UL identification card.
"This will minimize the wait time at Cajun Field for our students and by taking buses from Cajun Field to campus, or using a bus to travel to other parts of the city, students can help ease traffic congestion in Lafayette," UL Lafayette President Dr. Joseph Savoie says in a release touting the potential deal.

While the agreement between the local university and government promises to up the use of mass transit and help alleviate traffic congestion on Lafayette streets, one could also say LCG has an ulterior motive in pursuing the arrangement: It needs to meet a certain level of ridership on city buses as part of its funding from the Federal Transportation Administration.

But promoting mass transit is also a component of the comprehensive master plan, says LCG Chief Development Officer Kevin Blanchard: "Enhanced transit service is in several of the action items in PlanLafayette, and building the ridership in the system is one of the key reasons."