Celebration featured ribbon cutting, mini-tour

NEW ORLEANS – Yesterday, New Orleans Regional Transit Authority (RTA) CEO Lona Edwards Hankins welcomed elected officials and community leaders to celebrate the launch of 26 new hybrid and diesel buses that have been deployed over the summer and fall. The event, featuring a ribbon cutting and a mini-tour on a hybrid bus, took place just days after the implementation of RTA’s fall 2024 transit schedule.

“Our campaign, ‘How New Orleans rolls,’ reflects our commitment to delivering world-class service. By modernizing our fleet, we’re enhancing service reliability and reducing environmental impact with quieter, eco-friendly buses,” said CEO Hankins. “We’ve already seen improvements in service frequency and a significant drop in complaints about late buses.”

Key attendees included District D City Councilmember Eugene Green, Transportation Committee Chair; Rep. Shaun Mena (District 23); Rep. Candace N. Newell (District 99); Rep. Delisha Boyd (District 102); Courtney Jackson, Executive Director of RIDE New Orleans; and several neighborhood and community leaders. 

The first set of 21 buses were funded by $18.6 million from the American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act. Another set of eight diesel buses, five of which are also in operation, were funded by $5.39 million from disaster-related CDBG funds.

As the new buses are being deployed, RTA is able to retire its oldest buses.

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The New Orleans Regional Transit Authority is a political subdivision of the State of Louisiana which is operated by an independent Board of Commissioners that serves Orleans, Jefferson and St. Bernard parishes. The agency operates car and passenger ferries, fixed-route buses, paratransit, streetcar, and limited on-demand service.