First, LSU’s transition from the Capital Area Transit System (CATS) to Tiger Trails, a contracted private company, has been a vast improvement in enabling students, faculty, and staff to travel to and from campus. The TransLoc mobile app, wait times, and quality of service provided by Tiger Trails is vastly superior to what CATS was providing LSU. While it is unfortunate LSU could not rely on Baton Rouge’s public transit system, the change was needed.
That said, Tiger Trails, as with any transportation system, has its own issues that need to be addressed.
Maybe it would be best if those boarding a Tiger Trails bus swipe a valid student, staff, or faculty identification card when boarding, because what is happening is those who do not pay for the service through student fees use Tiger Trails as either an alternative to CATS or as a “transfer” to other CATS stops. Additionally, those who drive the bus, though very cordial and friendly, often disobey the general order of the transit system by 1) making at stops at non-designated locations for either those who pay for the service through fees and those who use it as a free means of transportation, and 2) the drivers seem to have a habit of picking up and dropping off friends along the route to have various conversations ranging from the sandwich they had for lunch or how awful Governor Jindal is. While I can sympathize with the latter, this is not how student fees are designated for expenditure—to subsidize and complement the failed public transit system known as CATS.
To the point: public transportation in Baton Rouge is a vital element to our community, provides a much needed service, but is severely lacking in quality.
Tiger Trails has been wonderful for LSU, but there seems to be a lax policy as to access to the service. While I empathize with those who need to get to work, a grocery store, or a doctor’s appointment through an efficient form of public transportation, Tiger Trails is not public transportation. It is paid for partially by student fees, and only those who pay those fees perhaps should be allowed to use the service. The increase in volume of those riding on Tiger Trails who do not pay for the service causes delays and disruptions.
Tiger Trails is a service of LSU to help students, staff, and faculty travel to and from LSU. It is not, to my knowledge, a public service.
Thus, there could be more oversight, strict adherence to the established guidelines of bus stops, and those who are able to access the service.
Again, I believe Baton Rouge deserves a decent public transit system. However, that system is not Tiger Trails.
I ask LSU to investigate to make changes and also encourage those with oversight to address issues with CATS, which has been an ongoing issue for many years, infused with tax dollars, with mixed results.
Swede White
Graduate Student
Department of Political Science