UPDATE: The first week of Ride Acadiana will be free.
All rides for people who want to try out the pilot program linking Lafayette to Scott, Crowley, Duson and Rayne will be free August 20 through 24.
“We’re encouraged by the interest in the service already and want to provide riders every opportunity to give it a try,” said Monique Boulet, Chief Executive Officer of the Acadiana Planning Commission.
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The University of Louisiana at Lafayette wants to remind students that a pilot transportation program is rolling out August 20.
Ride Acadiana will run routes linking prominent locations in Lafayette to the cities of Crowley, Duson, Rayne and Scott.
UL, SLCC and Lafayette General, as well as Lafayette transit transfer locations, are the stops. There will be park-and-ride locations in the cities, so that riders can drive to a bus stop and leave their car for the day.
Patricia Cottonham, UL Lafayette’s vice president for Student Affairs, said students who use the commuter service “aren’t only getting a ride to campus and a ride home. The transit program also provides the opportunity to study, review class notes or decompress while someone else takes the wheel.”
And fewer vehicles on the road are good for the environment, said Gretchen Lacombe Vanicor, director of the Office of Sustainability.
UL Lafayette’s Sustainability Strategic Plan encourages ride-sharing and public transit use among students and faculty as a way to reduce harmful emissions.
“Sharing rides or taking the bus alleviates traffic congestion; that’s the immediate benefit. But in the long term, sustainable transportation choices limit the production of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide,” Vanicor said.
There are 20 stops all together; a complete list can be found at rideacadiana.com. The website also includes fare information and maps of the routes.
