CATS Service Changes
Effective Sunday, February 24, 2019
New schedules for Weekday, Saturday and Sunday/Holiday service have been created to accommodate these forthcoming changes. Customers can view the upcoming changes on the current CATS website route page by clicking on the "view new route information as of 2/24/19" link on each individual route page [this update is in progress, please be patient with us as we update the website over the next week to include all new route information]
CATS has also created individual route timetables for all 26 routes. These timetables can be printed directly from the website, downloaded to your phone, or picked up at the CATS Terminal or any of our transit centers. All CATS buses will have route timetables onboard; however, not every route's timetable will be available on all buses. Timetables are also available in Spanish and Vietnamese, and can be picked up at the CATS Terminal or printed directly from the website.
Summary of Changes by Route
Route 11 - Northside Circulator
Improve frequency from 60 to 30 during rush, reroute to be faster and more direct, add one-way service on Scenic Highway and in Glen Oaks [Map / Schedule / Timetable ]
Route 14 - Thomas Delpit Dr
Improve frequency from 60 to 30 during rush, provide earlier morning service, extend and restructure route service to serve River Road [ Map / Schedule / Timetable ]
Route 15 - Blount Road
New route servicing Blount Road area [ Map / Schedule / Timetable ]
Route 16 - Capitol Park Shuttle
Shorten route for faster travel time, improve frequency from 30 to 10 minutes [ Map / Schedule / Timetable ]
Route 18 - LSU/Cortana Mall
Shorten route to end at Parker Blvd, improve frequency from 60 minutes to 30 minutes during rush [Map / Schedule / Timetable ]
Route 20 - North Acadian Thruway
Provide later service [ Map / Schedule / Timetable ]
Route 21 - Fairfields Ave / Cortana Mall
Improve frequency from 60 to 30 during rush, provide later service [ Map / Schedule / Timetable ]
Route 22 - Winbourne Ave / Cortana Mall
Improve frequency from 60 to 30 during rush [ Map / Schedule / Timetable ]
Route 23 - Foster Dr
Provide later service [ Map / Schedule / Timetable ]
Route 41 - Plank Road
Improve frequency from 30 to 20 minutes during rush [ Map / Schedule / Timetable ]
Route 44 - Florida Blvd / Cortana Mall
Provide earlier morning service [ Map / Schedule / Timetable ]
Route 46 - L'Auberge / Gardere / Cortana
Improve frequency from 60 to 30 during rush, combine with current route 56 [ Map / Schedule / Timetable ]
Route 47 - Highland Rd
Provide earlier morning service [ Map / Schedule / Timetable ]
Route 54 - Airline Hwy North / Southern University
Reroute to service the Baton Rouge Airport, provide later evening service [ Map / Schedule / Timetable ]
Route 57 - Mall to Mall via Sherwood Forest
Improve frequency from 60 to 30 minutes during rush, extend service further north, provide later evening service [ Map / Schedule / Timetable ]
Route 58 - Coursey Blvd/O'Neal Lane/Cortana Mall
Reroute service near Costco, provide later evening service [ Map / Schedule / Timetable ]
Route 59 - East Florida Blvd / O'Neal Lane
Provide later evening service [ Map / Schedule / Timetable ]
Route 60 - Medical Circulator
Increase span of route to service more areas [ Map / Schedule / Timetable ]
Route 70 - Baker / SU / CATS Terminal
Combine with route 52 and 60, improve frequency from 60 to 30 during rush [ Map / Schedule / Timetable ]
Eliminated Routes
The following routes are being eliminated, as stops along these routes are being serviced by other routes:
Route 50 - Glen Oaks / Greendale Circulator
Route 52 - Baker Circulator
Route 55 - East Florida Blvd
Route 56 - Mall to Mall via Drusilla lane
Route 103 - Airport Express
Full list of eliminated stops and FAQ's
Public Information Meetings
Capital Area Transit System (CATS) will hold a series of informational sessions to discuss the upcoming Service Improvement Plan implementation, which will take effect on Sunday, February 24, 2019. There will be four sessions in both Baton Rouge and Baker to meet with customers and the public.
The sessions will be held on the following dates and times:
Tuesday, February 12th at 10:30 a.m. at the BREC Administration Building, 6201 Florida Boulevard
Wednesday, February 13th at 5:30 p.m. at the Delmont Gardens Library, 3351 Lorraine Street
Thursday, February 14th at 5:30 p.m. at the Bluebonnet Library, 9200 Bluebonnet Boulevard
Friday, February 15th at 10:00 a.m. at the Baker Library, 3501 Groom Road, Baker
Members of CATS staff will be on hand to discuss the approaching service change and answer questions related to route and stop information.
Additional Changes CATS is making for our customers
Elimination Signs: By February 10, 2019, the CATS team will have installed all "elimination sign" notices on all 156 stops that will be eliminated beginning February 24, 2019. The purpose of this sign is to alert customers who utilize a particular stop that they will need to locate the next closest stop along their route beginning on 2/24/19. Only 10% of our current riders will actually be impacted by their stop being eliminated. Of those riders, more than 50% have another stop within walking distance (less than .25 miles, per the FTA guidelines).
New CATS Bus Stop Signs: A common piece of feedback by our customers over the years has been that they were unsure which routes serviced a particular stop. Knowing not everyone has access to the internet and/or a smartphone, we wanted to provide customers with the information at the stop itself. These new bus stop signs will roll out in phases, with the first phase being the brand new bus stops; phase 2 will begin with the routes that have the highest ridership. By the end of the third quarter of 2019, all of our bus stop signs will be replaced with our new design.
Shelter Advertisements: All of our shelters will be filled with full system maps and general how-to-ride information. In some cases, if a local business has not purchased the space, a second shelter ad will be displayed with specific route information for the routes that service that particular shelter location.
CATS Route Atlas: The "CATS Atlas" is a booklet that contains all maps and timetables for the entire CATS system. It also includes our Passenger Code of Conduct, bikes on board, fare structure, ban policy and much more! The CATS Atlas is available in Spanish and Vietnamese translation and can be picked up at the CATS Terminal.