FEMA Celebrate's La Swift's 10,000th Passenger 

Release Date: November 25, 2005
Release Number: 1603-175

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BATON ROUGE, La. -- It started on October 31 with only 150 passengers on its first day of operation. Now, in less than a month, LA Swift transported its 10,000th passenger, Bart Thompson, today at 4:30 a.m. The free bus service is sponsored and funded by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), in coordination with the State of Louisiana and Regional Transit Services. This service enables displaced New Orleans workers who live in Baton Rouge to travel between the two cities. State and regional transit services in Baton Rouge have coordinated with FEMA to provide the feeder system at both ends.

FEMA will be celebrating passengers like Sam Jackson and his family who were uprooted to another city, beyond their control, with no means of transportation. Jackson, a husband, and father of five, was a truck driver for a New Orleans company before Hurricane Katrina uprooted his family. Jackson now lives in Baton Rouge and his employer wants him back in New Orleans.

“Oh, what a blessing. I really feel good about it and I think it’s going to happen again. I’m going to come back to normal with the help of the bus service. I can come back here and buy things that I like, get my life back together, me and my family because we have a pretty decent life.” said Jackson.

With the help of the LA Swift Pass, restaurant line cook Tammy Burns was able to attend a recent job fair held in New Orleans. There, she received three job offers in one day. “Cooking is what I have done for years and I love to do it,” she said. “This was my first time going to a job fair. This has been great for me.”

The new transit system has also proven to be a big success for college students. Tiffany Dixon, who attended Louisiana State University in New Orleans, lost everything due to the hurricane. She currently resides in Baton Rouge and has recently been hired by Steve’s Diner in New Orleans. She says that the transit system has been a big help. It would have been hard for her to get around without it. “Oh, it would have been hard. Because I have no transportation to get back and forth, not even in Baton Rouge, so it’s pretty convenient for me.” said Dixon.

As a result of the strong public demand, FEMA has decided to extend the bus service through Feb. 2006. Shuttle services will be provided from all temporary group housing sites to the Capital Area Transit System (CATS) terminal.

The bus service runs seven days a week leaving the CATS terminal on 2250 Florida Boulevard between 4:30 a.m. to 9 a.m. and returning to the Baton Rouge terminal between 3 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. The bus goes nonstop to the New Orleans pick-up/drop-off point at Canal and Basin. From that point, New Orleans Regional Transit Authority (NORTA) connects to provide free service.

For more information about the bus service, call Department Of Transportation and Development at (225) 379-1232 or 1-(877) 4LA-DOTD (1-877-452-3683) or visit the website www.laswift.com or www.laworks.net.

SATELLITE INFORMATION

When: Friday, November 25, 2005

Time: 2:00-2:30pm CST / 3:00-3:30pm EST

Satellite: Galaxy 11
Digital Ku Transponder 6A
Downlink: 11806.5 V
Symbol Rate: 6.1113
FEC: 3/4
Data Rate: 8.448

FEMA prepares the nation for all hazards and manages federal response and recovery efforts following any national incident. FEMA also initiates mitigation activities, trains first responders, works with state and local emergency managers, and manages the National Flood Insurance Program.

Last Modified: Monday, 28-Nov-2005 10:08:47