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CATS offering free rides while riders adjust to 'new plan'
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BATON ROUGE- This week Baton Rouge bus system riders are getting treated to free rides around the city while 'new plans' started on Sunday.
In five days, the response to the CATS service improvement plan has been the most welcome news. Riders appreciate the increased frequency of their routes, but as is the case with almost any service changes there is some adjusting.
Since Sunday's rollout, CATS officials have had to change up a few things. On Route 15 servicing Blount road, they have gone out and removed or altered some of the bus stops after noticing the proximity to one another. Officials also cited safety reasons in making those changes this week.
Individual route timetables are being replaced for some routes after customers requested larger font sizes for them.
These improvements continue, as site-specific maps and overall system maps are being installed across the CATS service area over the next few weeks.
As for new, more detailed bus stop signs, those are being installed in phases, set to be complete by the fall of this year.
Over the week much of the feedback has been positive, and officials say customers seem happy but know there are always a few reservations when things change.
“Change can sometimes be a little bit difficult, so there are a couple of people who are getting used to where their stop is. And we know that that's going to take a few weeks for people to get really used to it. This is the biggest change in service we've done at one time in about five years,” said CATS spokesperson Amie McNaylor.
The rollout is not yet complete. Things like signage will continue to be updated throughout the year, but CATS says it's already working on new projects. Also, a reminder CATS is still waiving fares as customers are adjusting to the improvements. Fare-less rides continue through Saturday.
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