Bossier City and SporTran agree to six month trial for new, free southern bus route

It may have taken six months longer than SporTran hoped, but the company will soon be able to implement a new, temporarily free bus route in southern Bossier City after a Bossier City Council vote Tuesday finally cleared way for its operation.

The route will consist of twelve stops, functioning on a trial basis for its first six months. The first stop will be at Barksdale Boulevard and McDonald Street while the last stop will be at the Kroger and Walmart shopping center in Shady Grove.

All seven City Council members approved the six-month trial Tuesday. 

SporTran plans to begin the route June 13.

SporTran originally announced the route in December for a January launch, simultaneously announcing the route would be free along with all SporTran routes for two years with the help of a federal grant.

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The same night SporTran announced the route, Bossier City Mayor Tommy Chandler made a Facebook post saying he was blindsided by the announcement and would not allow the new route to begin until he and the Council have given approval.

"This announcement came as a surprise to me and is simply not correct," Chandler posted. "Neither my office nor the Bossier City Council have approved any new routes."

SporTran CEO Dinero Washington said he doesn’t know what changed between his 1 p.m. announcement and Chandler’s 9 p.m. denouncement.

Washington showed the Times a thread of emails beginning shortly after 8 a.m. Dec. 21 between him and Chandler’s office about the route’s announcement, showing they agreed on the route and were coordinating the social media promotion campaign.

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During a public meeting Jan. 11 between SporTran and the Bossier City Council, Washington addressed the Council's chief concerns, which included what the council called a lack of communication with the bus company and an excessive number of stops on Barksdale Boulevard.

Washington specifically addressed concerns over property values decreasing, citing a study that suggests the opposite is true. 

Washington also spoke to concerns over "undesirable" people using the service.

"We find these notions appalling and antithetical to the spirit of our community," read a SporTran presentation slide displayed at this time of the conversation. "Nor should SporTran riders be labeled as criminals simply because they lack a personal vehicle or otherwise find themselves in need of public transit."

At the Bossier City Council meeting Tuesday, Washington said the southern route's twelve stops will initially be marked with signage but once data starts rolling in about which stops are the most frequently used, the company has plans to use part of a $1.9 million grant to erect new amenities, such as benches. 

Kendrick Dante writes for the USA Today Network and is a government watchdog reporter in Shreveport, Louisiana. He enjoys cooking, concerts, and content. Email him at kdbrown1@gannett.com or connect on Twitter @kendrickdante.