CATS gets two more buses from Lafayette to upgrade aging fleet

The Lafayette Transit System is giving the Capital Area Transit System a good deal on two used buses. It’s selling them to CATS for just $575 each. Though the buses are nearly 12 years old, they have fewer than 250,000 miles on them, which is a relatively little amount compared to some of the vehicles in CATS’ aging fleet.

“Some of our buses have as many as 800,000 miles,” says CATS spokeswoman Amie McNaylor. “If we can get two buses for $1,300 and run them for a few years, we aren’t going to complain about that.”

Lafayette is replacing its diesel buses with an all-compressed natural gas fleet, which is why the used buses are being sold for next to nothing.

CATS’ fleet of aging, rundown buses is one of the chronic problems the agency faces, and it has also given union leaders a point of leverage in stalled contract negotiations with the administration. CEO Bob Mirabito has been working to replace the worst buses in the fleet with newer ones, or at least buses in better shape and with fewer miles. Last year, CATS acquired six 13-year-old buses from Roanoke, Virginia, for a total of $44,900. Earlier this year, it took possession of six new buses it purchased in 2014.

The Lafayette City Council must sign off on the transfer of the buses, which will likely happen in August.

In the meantime, CATS is moving forward with plans for new staging areas for the downtown and Mall of Louisiana hubs. The downtown hub will be located at the intersection of North Third and Lafayette streets, near the state welcome center. CATS is working out various details with the state on completing the move, which will free up congestion on North Boulevard near the Old State Capitol.

The Mall of Louisiana hub will be temporarily relocated to a median on the ring road at the rear of the mall, near the movie theater. The ring road encircles the mall. McNaylor says CATS is looking for a permanent location for a hub in that area and is exploring possible options with the Mall, but also with nearby Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center and Baton Rouge General Medical Center.

—Stephanie Riegel