NEW ORLEANS – The New Orleans Regional Transit Authority (RTA) today launched the New Orleans East Service Improvement Plan (ESIP), inviting riders and residents to help shape future bus service in New Orleans East. Through surveys and community meetings, the agency will gather feedback to identify ways to improve reliability, travel times, and access to everyday destinations.

Have Your Say: Take the Survey 

Open: July 1, 2026 - August 31, 2026 

Who Should Participate? Anyone who lives, works, or travels in New Orleans East.

The survey marks the beginning of a year-long planning process that will evaluate existing transit service and identify opportunities to improve reliability, connectivity, and access to jobs, education, healthcare, shopping, and other essential destinations. 

New Orleans East is one of the region's most important transit markets, home to more than 74,000 residents and more than 5,400 weekday trips. Community input, operational data, and technical analysis will help identify opportunities to improve service frequency, route alignments, hours of operation, transfer opportunities, and overall network connectivity. "The New Orleans East Service Improvement Plan is moving forward, and community input is an important part of that process," said Ron Baptiste, Interim Chief Executive Officer of the RTA. "The feedback we receive, together with operational data, will help inform service planning as we continue working to improve access and mobility for the communities we serve.”

Every community has unique travel patterns and service needs," said Dwight Norton, RTA Chief Planning & Capital Projects Officer. "This study will look at existing service, operational data, and community feedback that combine to inform decisions for improving bus routes in New Orleans East within RTA’s existing resource.

The study will focus on the following routes:

• 61 Lake Forest – Village de L'Est 
• 62 Morrison – Bullard
• 62-O Morrison Owl
• 66 Hayne Loop
• 67 Michoud Loop
• 68 Little Woods Loop 

Community engagement will continue throughout the study and will include public meetings, outreach activities, and opportunities for residents and stakeholders to provide feedback before recommendations are presented to the RTA Board of Commissioners. The first opportunity to participate will be the Community Kickoff Meeting:

Tuesday, July 7, 2026
5:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.
New Orleans East Library
5641 Read Blvd. New Orleans, LA

The meeting will provide an overview of the study, explain the planning process, and offer attendees an opportunity to meet the project team, ask questions, and share their input.

RTA encourages New Orleans East riders, residents, businesses, and community stakeholders to attend the kickoff meeting and participate in the online survey.

###

The New Orleans Regional Transit Authority is a political sub-division 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, and streetcar services. For updates, service alerts, and agency news, follow the RTA on social media: @neworleansrta on Instagram, X (Twitter), and Facebook, and New Orleans Regional Transit Authority on LinkedIn.