New Orleans Regional Transit Authority

New Orleans Regional Transit Authority

RTA building on Canal Street
Founded	1979
Headquarters	New Orleans
Service area	City of New Orleans Orleans Parish, Louisiana
Service type	Public transit Heritage streetcar
Routes	30 (bus) 5 (streetcar)
Stops	2154 (bus) 286 (streetcar)
Annual ridership	13,501,100 (2024)
Fuel type	Diesel (bus) Electric (streetcar)
Operator	Transdev (through 2020)
Chief executive	Lona Edwards Hankins
Website	www.norta.com

Streetcar network map

The New Orleans Regional Transit Authority (RTA or NORTA) is a public transportation agency based in New Orleans. The agency was established by the Louisiana State Legislature in 1979, and has operated bus and historic streetcar service throughout the city since 1983, when it took over the city's mass transit system after nearly six decades' control by New Orleans Public Service, Inc. (now Entergy New Orleans). ^{[1] [ dead link ]} In 2024, the system had a ridership of 13,501,100, or about 42,400 per weekday as of the second quarter of 2025, making RTA the largest public transit agency in the state of Louisiana.

History

NORTA was established in 1979.

Hurricane Katrina

NORTA buses were used to transport people to the Superdome before Hurricane Katrina hit. Much of the city flooded due to the storm. The NORTA Administration building on Plaza Drive appears to have been in 10 feet (3.0 m) of water. Almost eighty-five percent of the fleet was rendered useless and inoperative; 146 city buses were visible outdoors in the flood at the 2817 Canal St. facility, while only 22 were at 3900 Desire Pky. The 8201 Willow St. facility was one block within the flood but was built above street level. The buses at the flooded facilities were mostly written off.

All but one of the streetcars built in the 1990s and 2000s were severely damaged in the flooding resulting from the hurricane. The historic Perley Thomas-built streetcars of the St. Charles line were undamaged in the disaster. The damaged streetcars, which had been built by hand on the property by local workers, were repaired in the same facility with components from Brookville Equipment Co. ^[2]

Post-disaster recovery

Transit service was restored to areas as they became habitable again. However, there was no 24-hour service on any bus or streetcar line, except for the St. Charles streetcar line. Streetcars were returned to the full length of Canal St. and the Riverfront, initially using the historic St. Charles Line streetcars, which had not been damaged, as had the red Canal cars. In 2008, the St. Charles streetcar resumed running the entire length of its route. By early 2009, the red Canal streetcars were repaired and had taken over service on the Canal and Riverfront Lines.

St. Charles Streetcar Tracks after Hurricane Katrina

In 2015, transit service was still at 45% of pre-Katrina levels, with buses being at 35% of original service levels while streetcars were fully restored. ^[3]

Service enhancements as of October 2, 2016: ^[4]

Operate the new N. Rampart/St. Claude Avenue streetcar from Elysian Fields to UPT via Rampart St. and Loyola Ave. Loyola/UPT line will no longer operate on Canal St. to the river, nor on Riverfront to the French Quarter stop.

Restore service to Canal Street on the 15-Freret and 28-MLK buses.

Increase service on the Canal and Riverfront streetcar lines.

Continue lines 57-Franklin and 88-St. Claude to Canal St. Operate 57-Franklin via Claiborne Ave. to increase service along N. Claiborne Ave. between Elysian Fields and St. Bernard Ave.

Decrease travel times for riders from farther-out neighborhoods by operating Lines 88-St. Claude and 91-Jackson/Esplanade with fewer stops along Rampart to Canal.

Improve reliability of lines 5-Marigny/Bywater and 55-Elysian Fields with new schedules.

Provide earlier daily trips and later weekend trips on line 80-Desire/Louisa.

New Links Bus Routes

In September 2022, the New Orleans Regional Transit Authority announced that they would be almost entirely changing the lines, names, and wait times for the authority starting on September 25, 2022. ^[5] The changes were made after a survey was conducted containing 3,000 people saying that the old lines had been outdated and were not convenient for everyday use. For 4 days after the new routes started, RTA offered free boarding on all buses, streetcars, and the Algiers Point Ferry. ^[6]

The changes were part of the New Links Network, a project designed to upgrade the transit authority to service the people of New Orleans. ^[7]

Upgrades from the previous lines include more access to jobs and landmarks, reduced wait times, longer service times, and faster transfers/connections. ^[8]

No changes were made to the streetcars or ferries.

Services

Buses

In 2024, the NORTA bus system had a ridership of 9,744,600 ^[9] , or about 33,600 per weekday as of the second quarter of 2025. ^[10]

Route list

Route Name	Terminal 1	Terminal 2	Length	via	notes
3 Tulane - Elmwood	Downtown Saratoga + Tulane	Elmwood Jefferson Hwy + Spur	10.2 miles (16.4 km)	Tulane Avenue, South Carrollton Avenue, Jefferson Highway	24-hour service (No evening or overnight service west of Jefferson + Causeway)
8 St Claude - Arabi	Downtown Main Library	Arabi St Claude at Parish Line	5.4 miles (8.7 km)	Rampart Street (Saint Claude Avenue)	24-hour service
9 Broad - Napoleon	Irish Channel Napoleon + Tchoupitoulas	New Orleans East New Orleans East Hub	14 miles (23 km)	Napoleon Avenue, Broad Street, Chef Menteur Highway	24-hour service
11 Magazine	Downtown Tulane + Loyola	West Riverside Children's Hospital New Orleans	5.8 miles (9.3 km)	Camp Street, Magazine Street
27 Louisiana	St. Thomas Dev Rousseau + St Andrew	Navarre Orleans + Navarre at Delgado Community College	7.9 miles (12.7 km)	Tchoupitoulas Street, Louisiana Avenue, Toledano Street (Washington Avenue)
31 Leonidas - Gentilly	West Riverside Children's Hospital New Orleans	Gentilly Woods Gentilly Woods Hub	12.4 miles (20.0 km)	Leonidas Street, Carrollton Avenue, Gentilly Boulevard
32 Leonidas - Treme		Downtown Main Library	10.5 miles (16.9 km)	Leonidas Street, Carrollton Avenue, Orleans Avenue
45 Lakeview	Navarre Cemeteries Transit Hub		7.5 miles (12.1 km)	Canal Boulevard, Pontchartrain Boulevard	Operates in a loop
51 St. Bernard - Claiborne	St. Bernard St. Bernard + Senate	Fontainebleau Claiborne + Carollton	7.8 miles (12.6 km)	Saint Bernard Avenue, Claiborne Avenue	Late evening service on Claiborne Avenue provided by 53-O Paris - Claiborne Owl
52 Paris - Broadmoor	Lake Terrace/Lake Oaks University of New Orleans	Dixon Palmetto + S. Carrollton at Xavier University	10.5 miles (16.9 km)	Paris Avenue, Washington Avenue	Late evening service on Paris Avenue provided by 53-O Paris-Claiborne Owl
53-O Paris-Claiborne Owl	Fontainebleau Claiborne + Carrollton	Lake Terrace/Lake Oaks University of New Orleans	10.9 miles (17.5 km)	Claiborne Avenue, Paris Avenue	Runs late evening service on portions of Routes 51 and 52
55 Elysian Fields	Downtown Main Library	Gentilly Woods Gentilly Woods Hub	11 miles (18 km)	Elysian Fields Avenue, Press Drive (SB), Congress Drive (NB)	24-hour service (No overnight service east of University of New Orleans)
57 Franklin - Freret	Pontchartrain Park Press + Emmett Bashful at SUNO	Audubon Audubon Zoo	12.2 miles (19.6 km)	Franklin Avenue, N Claiborne Avenue, Freret Street, Broadway
61 Lake Forest - Village De L'Est	Downtown Main Library	Village De L'Est Chef Menteur + Old Gentilly at Gulfway Terrace Apartments	16.1 miles (25.9 km)	I-10, Dwyer Road, Lake Forest Boulevard, Chef Menteur Highway	24-hour service
62 Morrison - Bullard		New Orleans East New Orleans East Hub	13.3 miles (21.4 km)	I-10, Morrison Road, Bullard Road	Overnight service provided by 62-O Morrison Owl
62-O Morrison Owl			18.2 miles (29.3 km)	I-10, Morrison Road, Bullard Road	Runs overnight service on portions of Routes 62 and 68
66 Hayne Loop	New Orleans East New Orleans East Hub		17.1 miles (27.5 km)	Leon C. Simon Drive, Hayne Boulevard	Operates in a loop
67 Michoud Loop			17.4 miles (28.0 km)	Lake Forest Boulevard, Bullard Road, Old Gentilly Road, Michoud Boulevard
68 Little Woods Loop			10.7 miles (17.2 km)	Hayne Boulevard, I-10 Service Road
80 Desire - Louisa	Gentilly Woods Gentilly Woods Hub	Marigny Elysian Fields + Decatur	5.6 miles (9.0 km)	Louisa Street, Desire Street
84 Galvez - Lower 9th	Downtown Main Library	Arabi St Claude at Parish Line	8.1 miles (13.0 km)	N Galvez Street, N Miro Street
86 St. Maurice - Chalmette	Arabi St Claude at Jackson Barracks	Chalmette Nunez Community College	13.5 miles (21.7 km)	Tupelo Street, Judge Perez Drive, Paris Road, Fats Domino Avenue	Operates in a loop
91 Jackson - Esplanade	St. Thomas Dev Rousseau + St. Andrew	Navarre Cemeteries Transit Hub	8 miles (13 km)	Jackson Avenue, Esplanade Avenue
103 General Meyer Local	Downtown Tulane + Loyola	New Aurora General Meyer + Carver	14.3 miles (23.0 km)	Pontchartrain Expressway, L.B. Landry Avenue, General Meyer Avenue
105 Algiers Local	Gretna Wilty Terminal	Tall Timbers-Bretchel Tullis + Woodland	7.9 miles (12.7 km)	Holiday Drive, Tullis Drive
114A Garden Oaks - Sullen	Downtown Tulane + Loyola	New Aurora General Meyer + Carver	12.7 miles (20.4 km)	Pontchartrain Expressway, General DeGaulle Drive, Sullen Drive	24-hour service
114B Garden Oaks - Woodland		Tall Timbers-Bretchel Tullis + Woodland	12.7 miles (20.4 km)	Pontchartrain Expressway, MacArthur Boulevard, Woodland Drive
202 Airport Express	Downtown Loyola + Tulane	Louis Armstrong International Airport	15.9 miles (25.6 km)	I-10

Streetcar

Main article: Streetcars in New Orleans

Streetcar on Canal Street, April 2007

Source: ^[11]

In 2024, the streetcar system had a ridership of 3,535,600, or about 8,800 per weekday as of the second quarter of 2025. ^[9]

No.	Route	Terminal 1	Terminal 2	Length	Notes
12	St. Charles	Canal and Carondelet Streets	Carrolton and South Claiborne Avenue	6 miles (9.7 km)	24-hour service
46	Rampart-Loyola	St. Claude and Elysian Fields	New Orleans Union Passenger Terminal	2.4 miles (3.9 km)	Reopened May 19, 2024
47	Canal–Cemeteries	Canal St. Ferry Terminal	Cemeteries Transit Terminal	3.6 miles (5.8 km)	24-hour service
48	Canal–City Park/Museum		City Park and Museum of Art	3.6 miles (5.8 km)	24-hour service
49	Riverfront	French Market	John Churchill Chase	2 miles (3.2 km)	Reopened June 1, 2025

Fares

Basic rates for all modes, except ferries, are $1.25 per boarding (or $0.40 for 65 and up, disabled and Medicare, $0.50 for 5–17). 24-hour Jazzy Passes are $3, or $1 for youth and $0.80 for seniors, good for all modes including ferries. ^[12] There are free transfer cards, good for next 120 minutes of unlimited use (round-trips/stopovers prohibited).

On July 18, 2022, the authority released Le Pass, a new trip planner and ticket app. It includes tickets and tracking for both RTA and Jefferson Transit buses. On August 29, 2022, RTA shut down ticket buying on the old RTA GoMobile app. ^[13] Le Pass updated from the old routes on September 25, 2022.

Governance

The RTA Board of Commissioners is in charge of making major decisions for the authority. The board consists of appointees by the Mayor of New Orleans and the President of Jefferson Parish.^{[ citation needed ]} The RTA Board has the overall authority for transit in New Orleans including setting fares, overseeing service and operations, developing operating budgets, approving each year's annual transportation development plan, and deciding upon capital purchases and expansions.^{[ citation needed ]}

Under contract to the RTA Board of Commissioners, Transdev formerly managed all day-to-day aspects of the transit agency on behalf of the RTA Board. Transdev handled operations and service, safety issues, vehicle maintenance, customer care, route design and scheduling, human resources, administration, ridership growth, capital planning, grant administration, communications, purchasing, and other agency functions. Transdev was under contract to and reported to the RTA Board of Commissioners. The company operates public transportation for some 5,000 transit authorities around the world. Transdev (then Veolia Transport) was hired in 2008. ^[14]

As of December 20,2020 ^[update] , Transdev no longer manages the RTA. All bus, streetcar, and paratransit operators, and also maintenance personnel, are now employees of RTA. Ferry services continue to be operated for RTA by LabMar Ferry Services. ^{[15] [ dead link ]}

See also

• Canal Street Ferry
• Streetcars in New Orleans
• List of light-rail transit systems

References

1. "RTA History". www.norta.com. Retrieved July 2, 2018.
2. "The streetcar makes a comeback in New Orleans - CBS News Video". www.cbsnews.com. February 1, 2013. Archived from the original on February 1, 2013.
3. Adler, Ben (August 19, 2015). "New Orleans' transit system still hasn't recovered, 10 years after Katrina". Grist . Retrieved November 1, 2025.
4. "October 2, Service Changes for Bus And Street Car Lines". Archived from the original on September 23, 2016. Retrieved October 2, 2016.
5. "New Orleans Regional Transit Authority - New Bus Routes". www.norta.com. Archived from the original on 2023-09-28. Retrieved 2022-09-18.
6. "New Orleans Regional Transit Authority - New Orleans RTA to offer four days of free rides for new bus routes implementation". www.norta.com. Retrieved 2022-09-18.
7. Hart, Katherine; Messenger, Uptown. "New Links reimagines the region's public transit. Here's what's in the works for Uptown". Uptown Messenger. Retrieved 2022-09-18.
8. "New Orleans Regional Transit Authority - System Overview". www.norta.com. Retrieved 2022-09-18.
9. "Transit Ridership Report Fourth Quarter 2024" (PDF). American Public Transportation Association. February 19, 2025. Retrieved February 25, 2025.
10. "Transit Ridership Report Second Quarter 2025" (PDF). American Public Transportation Association. August 27, 2025. Retrieved August 29, 2025.
11. "Schedule Streetcars 12, 46, 47, 48, 49" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2024-05-16.
12. "New Orleans Regional Transit Authority - Jazzy Passes". www.norta.com. Retrieved 2025-10-31.
13. "New Orleans Regional Transit Authority - Le Pass". www.norta.com. Retrieved 2022-09-18.
14. Donze, Frank (3 October 2008). "New management team to run city's Regional Transit Authority". NOLA.com . Retrieved January 16, 2017.
15. "New Orleans RTA". New Orleans RTA. Retrieved July 17, 2021.

External links

• Official website
• Ride New Orleans, a not-for-profit transportation policy and research organization.