The New Orleans Regional Transit Authority (RTA) marked its five-year anniversary under full public management, highlighting strong financial stewardship, safer operations, and meaningful improvements for riders, workers, and visitors since transitioning from private management. 

The RTA’s Road to Public Management

Founded in 1979, the RTA has long played a vital role in keeping New Orleans moving. Following Hurricane Katrina, the agency operated under private management for more than a decade as the city worked to stabilize essential services. 

In 2019, following an independent management study, the RTA Board decided to return the agency to public management, restoring local governance, transparency, and accountability. 

Over the past five years, the RTA has delivered measurable results that reflect the benefits of public management, including:

Investing in the local workforce by hiring more than 800 employees, 27 of whom were newly created positions, thus strengthening the city’s economy through competitive wages and tax contributions. 

Five consecutive years of clean audit opinions and strong bond ratings, reinforcing confidence in the RTA’s financial stewardship. 

More than $170 million secured in competitive federal grants to modernize fleets, facilities, and rider amenities.

“Five years of public management have shown what is possible when local leadership, transparent decision-making, and community voice guide our transit system,” said RTA CEO Lona Edwards Hankins. “We’re not just moving people, we’re building connections, opportunities, and a stronger New Orleans.”

Five Years and Moving Forward

Public management has enabled the RTA to launch and execute a comprehensive capital program focused on reliability, accessibility, and the rider experience, agency officials said. 

Investments to date include new buses and paratransit vehicles, hybrid fleet expansion, two new ferries, the Canal Street Ferry Terminal, and ADA accessibility improvements along the historic St. Charles Streetcar Line. 

Looking ahead, the agency is advancing transformational projects that support the city’s long-term growth and equity goals, including bus rapid transit connections linking New Orleans East, Algiers, and downtown; a 30-year Streetcar Modernization roadmap; expanded passenger transfer hubs; fare technology upgrades; and the development of the Downtown Transit Center. 

“Five years of public management has strengthened transparency, accountability, and performance across the organization,” said Fred Neal Jr., chairman of the RTA Board of Commissioners. “The decision to return the RTA to public control was about building a system that serves riders first, safeguards public dollars, and positions transit as a cornerstone of New Orleans’ economic future.” 

As New Orleans prepares for a new chapter of civic leadership, the RTA’s five-year record under public management underscores the value of transparency, accountability, and community-centered decision-making in delivering essential public services, RTA officials said.