The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD) recently awarded the Rapides Area Planning Commission (RAPC) two grants to develop a short-term pilot program to begin a rural curb-to-curb demand response public transportation service in Grant and Natchitoches Parishes.
Healthcare, social services, economic development, education, local governance agencies and community partners identified transportation as a critical need and priority throughout the twelve parish Central Louisiana region.
The short-term pilot program is part of a plan to incrementally and sustainably develop public transportation in parishes currently without rural public transportation service and have a relatively high unmet demand recommended by the Central Louisiana Rural Public Transportation Study adopted by the Alexandria-Pineville Metropolitan Planning Organization in December 2021.
At this time, the RAPC is in the process of building the pilot transit program and anticipates beginning rural public transportation service in Grant and Natchitoches Parishes later this year.
A full copy of the Central Louisiana Rural Public Transportation Study can be found online at https://www.rapc.info/siteuploads/rapc/1309_pdf_1_clrpts-fin_123021.pdf.
