During its first six months in operation, the Garden District Trolley attracted fewer than 30 riders a day on average, but CATS officials say they’re pleased with the performance of the trolley, which was introduced by CATS in January as one of several new lines designed to attract more so-called riders of choice.
Ridership varied widely by month, and after increasing in February and March, began decreasing in April, May and June. Figures provided by CATS show the following number of passengers boarded the trolley each month: 249 in January, 708 in February, 733 in March, 548 in April, 615 in May, and 460 in June.
The trolley, which connects downtown to the Garden District and the University Gardens neighborhood just beyond the Perkins Road overpass, runs six days a week. During the week, it runs at 30-minute intervals from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., and on Saturdays it runs hourly from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.
CATS spokesperson Amie McNaylor says while usage of the new service has not been robust, “we are pleased with the numbers, considering the neighborhood approached CATS to implement this service, and the ridership has grown by word of mouth only.”
McNaylor says summer ridership is likely down because there are fewer special events downtown this time of year. CATS has found that usage was particularly high during the Friday night Live After Five concerts and also during the many spring festivals held downtown
As for plans to increase ridership during the second half of the year, CATS will launch a targeted media and advertising campaign, most likely late in the third quarter. Details of the campaign have not been finalized and no agency has been retained to do the creative.
—Stephanie Riegel
