BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — LA Swift, the state-run commuter bus service between Baton Rouge and New Orleans, will shut down in a few months unless state lawmakers intervene.
Gov. Bobby Jindal proposes ending the service, started after Hurricane Katrina, in his budget proposal for the new fiscal year that begins July 1. The $5.8 million for the program would instead be used for highway projects, according to the Jindal administration.
The bus service began in October 2005 to help people displaced by Hurricane Katrina get to and from New Orleans to work on their homes and look for jobs. It has declined in ridership since state officials began imposing a $5 fare each way.
Lawmakers on the House Appropriations Committee were mixed Tuesday on whether they would try to save the service for another year.—–Contact The Daily Reveille news staff at [email protected]