Higher Gas Prices Contribute to
Increased Ridership.

At mid year, we've carried 60,000 more riders than last year, approximately 6 per cent more. Night Service riders have gone up 23 percent, and LiftLine is up 8% for the same period. This is the third straight year of rider increases.

Rides were up 7% in 2006 due to Katrina evacuees, and 6% in 2007 because of new night service. This year higher fuel costs are resulting in still more people using SporTran.

The same fuel costs that are affecting our riders is affecting us as well. Fuel costs for the first half this year exceeded our budget by $346,000

Is Downtown Trolley Service in
Shreveport's Future?

We are working with Shreveport Downtown Development Authority to start a downtown trolley service. DDA is working to develop funding sources to operate the system. Unlike the New Orleans trolley shown here, our service will use rubber-tired trolleys but they will still have the look and feel of an old-time trolley. Service possibilities may include daily lunchtime service, late night service linking attractions, hotels, restaurants, casinos, and shopping outlets in downtown and riverfront Shreveport and Bossier City areas.

11 New Buses on the Way & New LiftLine Vans are on the Street!

SporTran will be getting eleven new buses in August, including a new hybrid fuel bus, to replace older buses. Delivery will be late August, and will help us with the additional wear and tear that the night service is placing on our fleet.

Lift Line replaced all ten vans in June. The new vans have new layouts that allow an additional wheelchair to be carried.

Rebuilding Fareboxes and Other News

Using an FTA $230,000 grant, we are rebuilding aging fare boxes. The computerized fare boxes allow us to sell magnetic stripe passes and transfers on the buses, and provide a large database of ridership information. The fare boxes, first installed 8 years ago, see heavy daily use especially with the increased ridership we have experienced in the last two years.

Greyhound terminal relocation project is active. SporTran staff worked with City Departments and Greyhound consultant to submit a grant application for Federal Transit Administration funds. Approval for the $2.3 million grant from the Federal Transit Administration has recently been received. The project will relocate Greyhound from its downtown Shreveport address on Travis Street to the current City Hall Annex site on Murphy Street. City Hall Annex occupants will be relocated to newer offices.

A second similar project, the LSU Health Sciences Center Intermodal Terminal Project, has been approved and contract bids will be opened in August. Also funded through the FTA, the project will increase parking for LSUHSC, and provide passenger shelters for riders on both SporTran and the LSUHSC shuttle.