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| St. James | St. James Public Transit | | Last Update: | 9/5/2006 9:54:17 AM | | Operated by: | St. James Parish Government | | Legislative Districts: | Senate District 18; House District 57,58 | | Congressional Districts: | 3 | | Contact: | Evangeline Martin | | Address: | P. O. Box 87 , 5154 Hwy 44 | | Convent, LA 70723 | | Phone: | (225) 562-2201 | | Fax: | (225) 562-2425 | | E-mail Address: | humanresources@stjamesla.com | | Operating Class: | Route Deviation | | Funding Class: | Rural - Section 5310 | Profile of System | St. James Parish Transit started operations in 1975 with five vans under the auspices of the St. James CAA with support from the St. James Parish Police Jury. Funding was provided under Title XX of the Social Security Act. Only residents who met the guidelines of the act could be served. In 1977 a coordinated application was submitted by the Community Action Agency, the Council on Aging, and the Police Jury for a US Department of Transportation Section 147 Rural Transportation Demonstration Grant to provide coordinated services for elderly, Head Start, Title XX and other social programs. The general public was integrated into these program routes, since all social service centers are located near business, cultural, recreational, or residential centers and all residents; all income levels in the parish utilize the same travel routes. With this grant, four specially designed small buses were purchased and regular coordinated routes established throughout the parish.
In 1981 parish government was reorganized under a Home Rule Charter and the Community Action Agency and Council on Aging were absorbed under a newly created parish Department of Human Resources. This new department applied for a rural transportation grant then funded under the Urban Mass Transportation Administration and available through the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development. The first capital assistance request was for lift-equipped vehicles.
In April 1992, St. James Parish was awarded a Section 3 grant directly from the US Department of Transportation, Federal Transit Administration for construction of a transit maintenance facility. The facility was completed in less than a year. In-house maintenance of transit vehicles through this facility has reduced maintenance costs tremendously.
In 1995, St. James Parish Transit, as the parish’s sole provider also began providing full transportation for enrollees to the local Association for Retarded Citizens day care facility. | Characteristics of System | | Vehicles: | 17 mini buses (7 are lift-equipped) | | Clients Served: | General Public | | Operating Hours: | 7:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m., M-F | | Base Fare: | Flat rate of $0.50 per one way trip | | Service Area: | All of St. James Parish and part of Ascension Parish | 1997 System Data | | Total Operating Costs: | $401,141 | | Ridership: | 98, 735 + ARC 5,563 | | Annual System Miles: | 216,033 | | Cost Per Trip: | $4.06 | | Cost Per Hour: | $28.74 | | Cost Per Mile: | $1.86 | | Type Of System: | Rural | |
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