The chairman of the Capital Area Transit System’s board of commissioners says losing the contract with LSU would likely result in layoffs and a reduction of routes system-wide. Chris Tyson, who was elected board chair in February, says CATS has made an offer that is nearly 10% cheaper than the lowest bidder for the contract, which would save students more than $300,000 a year. CATS didn’t bid, but Tyson says LSU could still legally sign with CATS outside of the bid process because CATS is a public entity and can provide students access to the entire system with no additional charges. The CATS proposal includes new-fuel buses, GPS capability, video monitoring, LSU-branded buses, a dedicated on-campus supervisor and other customer service initiatives.
“The LSU service is a very important component of the overall CATS service for the city,” Tyson says. “We regret that recent customer service issues, which we take responsibility for, have put this relationship at risk.” CATS CEO John Denman is retiring at the end of May, and CATS is about to conduct a national search for a new one, Tyson says. The system’s contract with LSU expires this summer. For a Business Report story about CATS and LSU click here.—David Jacobs
