St. Bernard Transit reached a milestone having transported 8,320 passengers in the month of March. The number is the highest monthly ridership in at least three years. St. Bernard Transit Manager Michael Bayham attributed the rise in passengers to the new route shift that went into effect on March 1st, going to an hourly interval schedule, adding new stops along the route, and the customer service provided by the department’s staff and bus drivers. “We’ve had more people ride the bus in every month in 2017 and we were hoping to break the 8,000 passenger mark at some point in late March,” said Bayham.
“The increase in ridership also reflects the smooth transition with the route and schedule changes. We were a bit concerned about a possible drop off in the first month when the new times and route went into effect. Instead of a dip in ridership, we had a major jump compared to the previous month and March 2016 numbers,” said Bayham. Parish bus ridership has increased over the previous year. In 2015, St. Bernard Transit served over 78,064 passengers. In 2016, 80,597 people rode the bus, an increase of 3%.
“The parish transit system is an essential service in our community as it helps people get to their doctors’ appointments, school, grocery shopping, and place of employment,” said Parish President Guy McInnis. “I’d like to extend my congratulations to all of the employees in the transit department for their hard work and dedication that has resulted in this achievement.” St. Bernard Transit buses run between Poydras and Arabi starting at 6:00 a.m. through 7:51 p.m. on weekdays. The regular fare is $1 and there is a reduced fare of .50 cents for seniors, Medicare Card holders, and the disabled.
The bus schedule can be found by logging on to their webpage at www.sbpg.net/transit or you can call the St. Bernard Transit office at (504) 277-1907 for bus times or additional information.