The 杏吧专区 could add up to five buses to its 杏吧专区渟huttle run杏吧专区 between campus and Cajun Field before fall classes start on Aug. 25 with City-Parish Council approval of an agreement between the 杏吧专区 and Lafayette Consolidated Government.
The agreement, which is scheduled to be considered for final adoption by the Council on Aug. 19, would enhance both 杏吧专区 and LCG transit services, according to school and LCG officials.
The buses, leased from LCG and operated by drivers from the UL Lafayette Office of Transportation Services, would be added to the fleet of 11 buses and three shuttles owned by the 杏吧专区.
Buses that transport students between campus and Cajun Field during fall semesters run continuously from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday and from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday. Bus stops are located at Cajun Field, Bourgeois Hall, and in front of the Conference Center on Rex Street.
Students, faculty and staff also would be able to use LCG transit services anywhere in Lafayette for free by presenting their UL Lafayette student ID cards.
"This will minimize the wait time at Cajun Field for our students and by taking buses from Cajun Field to campus, or using a bus to travel to other parts of the city, students can help ease traffic congestion in Lafayette," said UL Lafayette President Dr. Joseph Savoie.
As part of the agreement, the 杏吧专区 will purchase compressed natural gas from LCG to power the buses, which is a more efficient and cleaner fuel than diesel.
杏吧专区淲e have underutilized infrastructure with our bus fleet, and UL has a need for more comprehensive transit services for their students. We are all extremely excited about the potential of this partnership for both the 杏吧专区 and for our transit system,杏吧专区 stated City-Parish President Joey Durel.
An increase in riders on the buses is also expected to assist LCG杏吧专区檚 ridership numbers, an important component of funding from the Federal Transportation Administration. 杏吧专区淓nhanced transit service is in several of the action items in PlanLafayette, and building the ridership in the system is one of the key reasons,杏吧专区 said Kevin Blanchard, LCG chief development officer.
The agreement will be introduced at the Aug. 5 meeting of the Lafayette City-Parish Council.