By Scott Dyer
The Advocate
Copyright 2007 Capital City Press
All Rights Reserved
NEW ORLEANS — Mayor-President Kip Holden announced Tuesday that $600,000 in federal funds are on the way to help bail out the East Baton Rouge Parish paratransit program that provides curb-to-curb bus service for disabled people.
Holden noted that the money from the Federal Transit Authority was originally earmarked for equipment and capital improvements, but Congress agreed to allow the Capital Area Transit System to use it for operating expenses to keep the paratransit bus service rolling.
Holden said the $600,000 normally would require a 20 percent match from CATS, but Congress has waived that requirement.
In addition, Holden said, CATS has submitted a grant request to the FTA to purchase seven specially equipped vans to transport the disabled.
Effective Jan. 1, the Federal Emergency Management Agency discontinued its funding that helped keep CATS On-Demand running.
As a result, CATS had to cut the number of its vans from 18 to eight, and it had to deny 310 requests for service from qualified disabled residents who use the bus service to go to the doctor, shop and get around town.
R.J. Goebel, planning director for the Capital Region Planning Commission, said that until November, FEMA was paying the displaced New Orleans Regional Transit Authority to provide paratransit service in Baton Rouge.
FEMA continued to subsidize the service through December with a contract with Reliant Transportation Group, but the funding expired at the end of the year, Goebel said.
In addition to the $600,000, Goebel said, federal officials promise $1.1 million in federal grants may be available to CATS through several new programs.