Shreveport’s Sportran Will Make Mass Transit Free for 2 Years
People who need to work but don't have a vehicle in Shreveport have a safety net we call Sportran. With routes crisscrossing the Shreveport-Bossier City area, Sportran can pretty much get you from where ever you are to where ever you need to be on a regular basis. For folks who depend on the service to get to and from work, the grocery store, or anywhere else, life is about to get a bit easier.
Officials with Sportran are launching a 2-year, zero-fare pilot program. According to KSLA, as of January of 2022 - riders depending on the essential transportation that the City of Shreveport provides through the service will not have to pay until at least the year 2024.
It may not seem like much at $1.50 a ride or $3.00 for an all day pass - this is one of those costs that accumulates over time. At 5 days a week, a person just riding the bus to and from work will save approximately $780 a year. Moreover, being broke will no longer be a barrier keeping Shreveport-Bossier City residents from getting where they need to go. Want people who are down on their luck to get a job? This plan makes it possible.
The timing of this plan isn't accidental, it is 100% an effort to relieve some of the stress from folks struggling to make ends meet due to the pandemic. We are finally emerging from it, and Sportran's plan may help us get desperately needed employees to jobs in order to get our region, state, and country up and rolling again.