The Baton Rouge public transportation service is developing a rapid-transit system for buses to establish quicker routes through the city.The system, which could involve creating designated bus lanes and traffic signal priority for buses, is in the first phase of implementation, but still has a long way to go.Capitol Area Transit System has issued several requests for proposals to select a consultant to lead studies into the city’s transit potential, said Chris Tyson, president of the board of commissioners for the CATS.”This would be a way of using buses as a rail line system without the high cost of rails,” Tyson said. “There is great potential to use rubber instead of rail.”Once a consultant is chosen, CATS will look for input from the public to gauge how much support it can expect in terms of tax revenues, said Carol Crenshaw, CATS general manager.”We feel there will be support out there,” Crenshaw said. “We need so much change, and we have so much traffic.” CATS already received $680,130 from the federal government to conduct these studies, which represents 80 percent of the revenue required to get through phase one.Crenshaw said the federal government already dedicated four years worth of funding to the project. The money will be returned if the project falls through or public support fails.The mayor’s office, city council, CATS and the Capital Region Planning Commission helped put up the mandatory 20 percent match of $170,033 for the first phase.Crenshaw said the initial research phase could last up to a year. Tyson said this process began in 2005, but a lack of revenue kept CATS from shifting into high gear. He said funding from the city government helped.”Now we’ve garnered the coalition to put those things together and move forward,” Tyson said.Crenshaw predicts they will be able to balance the 2009 CATS budget, but the loss of the University contract along with other fiscal downturns will create an estimated $750,000 budget shortfall for 2010.Crenshaw said CATS is trying to avoid canceling routes or firing drivers during the shortfall. She said the company has only had to lay off one worker since losing the University contract.Crenshaw said engineering the transit project depends entirely on the results of the preliminary studies, especially since the city government has not committed any funds beyond the first phase.—-Contact Adam Duvernay at [email protected]