In This Suburb, Microtransit is the Key to Expanding Opportunities for Residents
In Baker, Louisiana, transit leaders have unveiled a new on-demand microtransit program called LYNX by CATS to connect residents to opportunities in town and in nearby Baton Rouge.
by Laney Cloud
January 9, 2023
The new service, LYNX by CATS, launched in June 2022 to complement a redesigned Route 70, offers connections to Southern University and Baton Rouge while incorporating part of the old Baker Circulator.
Photo: Via
2 min to read
For most residents of Baker, Louisiana — a town of 13,000 in the north suburbs of Baton Rouge — owning a car has long been necessary for accessing jobs, education, healthcare, and essential services. Capital Area Transit System (CATS), the transit agency serving the Baton Rouge area, were able to offer some fixed-route bus services, but low population density led to infrequent service, few riders, and ultimately service cancellations.
Leaders at CATS were determined to offer an alternative to fixed-route service.
Ad Loading...
Cheri Soileau, the director, planning and programing, at CATS, noted that while Baker is “not an urban area or downtown area that’s dense,” the town is “part of our system and we need to give them comprehensive service.” After exploring their options, CATS leaders settled on microtransit.
For most residents of Baker, La. — a town of 13,000 in the north suburbs of Baton Rouge — owning a car has long been necessary for accessing jobs, education, healthcare, and essential services.
Photo: Via
The new service, LYNX by CATS, launched in June 2022 to complement a redesigned Route 70, offers connections to Southern University and Baton Rouge while incorporating part of the old Baker Circulator, which was recently canceled due to low ridership.
LYNX offers on-demand service, bookable by app or phone, anywhere within Baker and to points of interest just outside of town: Southern University, the Scotlandville Transfer Center, the Exxon plant, and Lane Medical Center. CATS leaders are committed to keeping trips affordable — they are currently free — and riders wait an average of 11 minutes between request and pickup, making LYNX significantly more convenient for spontaneous trips than the fixed-route lines CATS had previously tried to run in the area.
LYNX has been an immediate success, delivering more than 10,000 rides since launch. Rides are requested from all over town — in the path of the old Circulator and beyond — but especially concentrated at the Walmart and Baker Middle School to the east of town.
And many riders take advantage of the service’s drop-off locations outside Baker’s borders, with trips concentrated at Southern University and Lane Medical Center.
Ad Loading...
The service effectively links areas of Baker with fewer available jobs to areas within and outside of town with significantly higher concentrations of workplaces, as shown in the Remix Transit map below.
The service effectively links areas of Baker with fewer available jobs to areas within and outside of town with significantly higher concentrations of workplaces.
Photo: Via
City officials are pleased with the results so far, and excited about the potential of LYNX to draw new riders into the transportation system.
“What it will do is open the door,” Soileau observed, “and it’s that first step to independence and choices.”
The GIF above shows transit options before and after Via. The most common pickup and drop-off locations are shown here as well, plotted in Via's Remix tool. [|CREDIT|]Via
Today’s riders—and the communities you serve—expect more from public transit. While ADA compliance is required, leading transit agencies know that true accessibility also means delivering dignity, efficiency, and a better rider experience. This whitepaper reveals why forward thinking agencies nationwide choose the Low Floor Frontrunner as their first choice for ADA compliant vehicles—setting a new standard with passenger first design, faster boarding, improved safety, and unmatched operational performance.
Under this extension, Keolis will continue to manage and operate fixed-route bus service across the East Valley, serving communities including Tempe, Mesa, Chandler, Scottsdale, the town of Gilbert, parts of Phoenix, and the Gila River Indian Community.
Through the strategic partnership, MOIA America will provide MOIA’s turnkey autonomous mobility solution. This includes purpose-built, autonomous-ready ID. Buzz vehicles equipped with the self-driving system developed by Mobileye, as well as operator training and enablement.
LexRide connects key destinations, including Downtown Lexington, the Distillery District, and the Warehouse Block/National Avenue area, making it easier to explore without worrying about parking, traffic, or multiple rideshare trips.
Sustainability Partners’ Arnold Albiar discusses how a service-based approach is helping airports and public agencies deploy and manage electric fleets more efficiently.
The expanded service builds on Pace’s growing On Demand network and is intended to improve access to destinations such as medical appointments, schools, shopping, employment centers and connections to the regional transit system.
An important part of the authority’s NextGen Bus Network, MARTA Reach will bring transit service directly to the rider’s location and offer a seamless link to the broader rail and bus system.
