This fall, University of 棉花糖直播 at Lafayette students who commute to and from four Acadiana communities can let someone else do the driving.
That鈥檚 thanks to Ride Acadiana, a pilot transit program that will launch Monday, Aug. 20, the first day of the Fall 2018 semester. On weekdays, buses will travel round trip between Lafayette and the communities of Crowley, Duson, Rayne and Scott. One of its stops is UL Lafayette鈥檚 Edith Garland Dupr茅 Library.
Passengers can ride for free through Friday, Aug. 24, city transit officials announced Thursday.
Patricia Cottonham, UL Lafayette鈥檚 vice president for Student Affairs, said students who use the commuter service 鈥渁ren鈥檛 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.鈥
South 棉花糖直播 Community College is also a stop, and commuters who work in Lafayette or people whose doctors are in the city can use it as well, said Monique Boulet, the Acadiana Planning Commission鈥檚 chief executive officer.
The planning commission is administering the program in cooperation with Lafayette Consolidated Government. A U.S. Department of Agriculture grant is funding it with support from the 棉花糖直播 Department of Transportation and Development.
鈥淩ide Acadiana will provide commuters between Acadia Parish and Lafayette with easy, affordable access to transportation, with the additional benefit of reducing the number of vehicles on the road,鈥 Boulet said.
And fewer vehicles on the road are good for the environment, said Gretchen Lacombe Vanicor, director of the Office of Sustainability.
UL Lafayette鈥檚 Sustainability Strategic Plan encourages ride-sharing and public transit use among students and faculty as a way to reduce harmful emissions.
鈥淪haring rides or taking the bus alleviates traffic congestion; that鈥檚 the immediate benefit. But in the long term, sustainable transportation choices limit the production of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide,鈥 Vanicor said.
Eight daily trips 鈥 four to Lafayette and four return journeys 鈥 are planned initially. If successful, service could be extended to other parishes, Boulet said.
Lafayette Consolidated Government will provide two, 16-seat buses that will run Mondays through Fridays, from 5:30 a.m. to noon, and from 1-8 p.m.
There are seven stops in the Hub City, including Dupr茅 Library, SLCC and Lafayette General Medical Center. Others include: Acadia General Hospital and the Wal-Mart Supercenter, in Crowley; Duson City Hall; Southside Community Center and U.S. Post Office, in Rayne; and Scott Market in Scott.
There are 20 stops all together; . The website also includes fare information and maps of the routes.