Central Louisiana Rural Planning Transportation Study

TGC completed a comprehensive study effort for the Rapides Area Planning Commission (RAPC) to better understand current and future demand for rural public transportation within a twelve-parish region within Central Louisiana (CENLA). The study area included the parishes of Allen, Avoyelles, Catahoula, Concordia, Evangeline, Grant, La Salle, Natchitoches, Rapides, Sabine, Vernon, and Winn. The effort included a robust stakeholder engagement process to complement a technical element for identifying current and future transit trip-flow.

The finished product recommended the creation of a rural public transportation policy and operational framework, housed within the RAPC, to provide rural public transit service in a phased manner for the region. The framework included an operations and start-up plan to enable near-term implementation efforts to begin. The effort included the development of several funding applications to include those submitted to the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) and to the Louisiana Department of Transportation (LaDOTD) and Development. These applications will allow the RAPC to begin to directly provide public transit service in several parishes within the study area beginning in calendar year 2022.