A Cooperative Endeavor Agreement (CEA) has been finalized by the city of New Orleans, La., ensuring the Opportunity Pass pilot program can move forward. The New Orleans Regional Transit Authority (RTA) partnered with RIDE New Orleans (RIDE), New Orleans Public Library and the New Orleans Children and Youth Planning Board (NOLACYPB) to work together in developing the next steps of the Opportunity Pass zero-fares pilot program, which will officially launch Sept. 3, 2024.
“This youth-focused policy aligns with the Youth Master Plan’s goal of making public transit affordable for young people,” said Morgan Shannon, executive director, NOLACYPB. "While initiating the pilot program was a positive first step, the push for free transit for all youth highlights a strong commitment to addressing the genuine needs of young people in New Orleans. We are excited about the upcoming launch of this program and look forward to its potential expansion into a long-term initiative."
The four organizations and agencies have worked to collaborate on the creation of the program from the ground up. The one-year zero-fares pilot program will provide Orleans Parish youth ages 16 to 24 access to free rides on New Orleans RTA buses, streetcars and ferries.
“To me, free transit means no longer having to scrape up change for fare or stress over how I'm going to get from point A to point B. I firmly believe this stress should be alleviated for everyone, especially youth,” said RIDE Youth Ambassador Béla Harmatiuk-Trujillo.
During the course of the one-year pilot, the agency's organizations will connect with participating youth through focus groups. Their feedback will help to establish ways to improve and strengthen the program. In addition to meeting with youth, the RTA and RIDE will report on the program's ridership details, which will help to encourage agnecy leaders to advocate for sustainable funding to create a permanent program that will benefit Orleans Parish youth. This pilot is also the result of enduring collaboration with the city of New Orleans and the city council.
“This youth-driven program will help ensure we’re creating something that works. We heard from youth and youth-serving organizations how vital access to things like school, work, healthcare and community is. We hope that with continued collaboration, we can see this program serve our youth for years to come,” said Courtney Jackson, executive director, RIDE New Orleans.
“The Opportunity Pass is the result of months of hard work, collaboration and cooperation with several different agencies and city leaders," said Lona Edwards Hankins, CEO, New Orleans RTA. "We are proud and excited to serve as a partner on this project. This pilot is rooted in [New Orleans] RTA’s commitment to equity while providing a world-class rider experience. This is also personal to me, as I learned up close the value of affordable transit for young adults during my time rebuilding the New Orleans public schools after Hurricane Katrina. These riders represent our next generation and so often are our most vulnerable. We must embrace every opportunity to help get them to their jobs, their schools and their communities. As we modernize our fleet and improve service reliability, we are paving the way for how New Orleans rolls into the future".
