The hour-and-a-half long drive may seem daunting to many who want to travel between Baton Rouge and New Orleans, but a tank of gas and 80 miles of cruise control may not be necessary for the trip.
LA Swift, a bus service managed by the Louisiana Department of Transportation, has been shuttling passengers between the two cities since 2005 following Hurricane Katrina when it was used to transport displaced residents living and working in separate locations.
A new study conducted by LA Swift has found more University students are using the bus for leisure purposes, such as riding to New Orleans for weekend visits with friends and family.
The study found 21 percent of riders are enrolled in the University.
Meri Monsour, account executive for LA Swift, said she believes the bus is popular with students because it’s affordable, convenient and comfortable.
A one-way ticket is $5, a one-week pass for 10 one-way trips is $45 and a two-week pass for 20 one-way trips is $88.
“The fares are much more reasonable than filling up a gas tank, plus the cost of wear and tear on a car,” Monsour said. “As a freshman, I didn’t even have a car, and this is much easier than asking for a beat.”
Kyle Salinas, international studies sophomore, said he’s used the LA Swift bus several times and would not have reached his destinations without it.
“They were overall good experiences with nothing pointing in a bad direction,” he said. “The bus wasn’t too bad, but it was a nice bus for the trip. I wouldn’t take it on cross-country tours, but for an hour here and there it was a good go.”
Monsour said the shuttle is still transporting people to jobs to which they wouldn’t otherwise be able to get.
“We’ve seen LA Swift become an essential tool for a lot of people,” she said. “We’ve had this increase in student riders and leisure travel, but the majority of riders are using it as a necessary means of transportation every