CATS Announces Launch of Strategic Planning Process 

Baton Rouge, La. - CATS announced today the transit agency is launching an update of its strategic plan to advance its mission in connecting residents to their jobs, grocery stores, healthcare appointments, and other essential services critical to the riding public.

“It’s more critical than ever for the residents we serve to have a reliable transit system during this pandemic, with tens of thousands of frontline workers relying on us every day to meet their mobility needs,” Bill Deville, CATS Chief Executive Officer, said. “Our strategic plan will solidify our next steps for moving forward as we continue our important work in building a transit system that effectively serves our community in the years to come.”

“The strategic plan will serve not only as a guide for aligning CATS staff and the Board of Commissioners in the important decisions our agency makes each day, but it will also be used as a tool for promoting accountability and transparency among our internal CATS team and our external partners and stakeholders,” Mark Bellue, CATS Board President, said.

Over the past decade, CATS has invested heavily in system improvements, replacing its fleet of buses, and making significant advancements in modernizing operations to provide safe and efficient transit for Baton Rouge area residents. The strategic plan will lay out a comprehensive strategy for building on these successes and momentum; it will also identify opportunities for enhancing the current system by expanding transit options such as bus rapid transit and microtransit, while continuing to align its strategic initiatives with the needs of customers. The planning process will be overseen by CATS Director of Planning, Scheduling and Program Development, Cheri Soileau, who joined the agency in August 2020 bringing over twenty years of transit experience from her former roles at Dallas Area Rapid Transit and Imperial Calcasieu Regional Planning and Development Commission. The strategic plan will also identify a core set of priorities that position the agency to emerge from the pandemic in a way that builds on the successful system modifications implemented to provide services amid this new reality, such as modifying services, implementing rigorous safety practices, and maintaining routes that provide access to critical jobs and lifesaving services.

As part of the strategic planning process, CATS is collecting public input from customers and stakeholders via a brief online survey to understand their general satisfaction with services and identify areas for improvement. To complete the survey, visit: https://www.brcats.com/index.cfm?md=form&tmp=home&fmid=43 . CATS will accept surveys and input until Dec. 9.

The strategic plan process is expected to conclude by February 2021 with a clear vision and plan to guide operations and capital improvements over the next three to five years. For more information about this process, visit brcats.com.