Bus stop going in at 620 Texas St.

If you spend time downtown, you have likely seen crews working on a series of new SporTran bus shelters along Common, Texas and perhaps, Caddo Streets. The shelters are along the route of the popular Downtown Circulator that SporTran initiated in 2017.

Stop in front of Shreve Memorial Library

SporTran General Manager Dinero Washington tells us that over the next few weeks, crews will be finishing several stops as well as addressing some punch list issues on others. He urges anyone with a concern about a location (damage, trash or other problems) to email here and it will be addressed.

Stop in the 200 block of Texas Street.

Washington says SporTran is committed to keeping the stops nice. They plan to provide additional trash receptacles at each shelter and empty them daily.

The stops are welcome sights to the folks who use public transit to get to jobs, appointments and shopping downtown and provide a bit of shade, a place to perch and some protection from sprinkles while waiting for FREE transit.

If you have not tried public transit, now is a great time. SporTran was able to use some of the American Rescue Plan money to provide completely free transit in 2022 and 2023, giving you the opportunity to leave both the driving and the cost of fuel to others!

 


Story posted November 2017

Starting Sunday, Downtown Shreveport gets its’ own dedicated circulator, the 2017 version of the much-loved Downtown Trolley. Every 13 minutes, an orange bus will make the Downtown loop.

Monday- Friday from 6 am until 6 pm, the Downtown Circulator will make 15 downtown stops, always beginning and ending at the Murphy Street SporTran Intermodal Terminal. You do NOT have to ride the full route. You can jump on and off at any of the stops along the way.

[embeddoc url=”https://downtownshreveport.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/SPORTRAN-DOWNTOWN-CIRCULATOR-MAP-small.pdf” download=”all” text=”Click here to download the Weekday Circulator Route Map”]

One of the three orange Downtown Circulator buses will be along every 13 minutes.  HERE IS THE SCHEDULE for Monday-Friday, 6 am- 6 pm.

There is Downtown Circulator service after 6 pm and on the weekends, but there are not as many stops. HERE IS THE EVENING AND WEEKEND  ROUTE MAP.  The SCHEDULES are here : Evenings- Saturdays- Sundays.

Where Is My Circulator?

So, it’s raining. You’ve jumped on ‘the Orange’, ridden to Louisiana and Texas for a pastry and coffee, and now want to ride back to say, Beaird Tower, but you don’t want to have to wait in the rain. You don’t have to. Go to www.sportranbus.com (make sure your location feature is enabled), and it will figure out which bus stop is nearest and how close your bus is to you. When the bus is three minutes away, say goodbye to your friends, pick up your umbrella and stroll leisurely to your stop. No more circling looking for parking!

If your location feature is not enabled, you will need to select ‘Arrival Time’, choose ‘Shreveport Daytime’, ‘Route 20’ and the stop you are closest to. It will then tell you the next estimated pickup.

YES, I Want to Ride the Orange! How Do I Pay?

There are three simple ways, so choose your fave.

#1 Pay CASH. We know that this is foreign to many people. Who carries cash anymore? IF you do, make sure you carry EXACT change- $1.00 per ride. SporTran drivers CANNOT make change. 

#2 Download the TouchPass Transit App. With this, you can load your Wallet and buy a Pass. You will be given a unique QR Code that will be scanned whenever you ride the Orange!

#3 Purchase a TouchPass Card. If you don’t have a smartphone, never fear. You can go to the Intermodal Terminal and purchase a TouchPass Card for $2. You will be able to load your card either at the Terminal or on-line via any computer.

How Much will Riding the Orange Cost?

$1 Single Ride. If you jump on and ride the entire route from the Intermodal back to the Intermodal and only get off at the Intermodal (approximately 39 minutes), it will cost you $1. If you get on at Marshall/Texas and ride to Louisiana/Texas (approx. 30 seconds) and get off, it will cost you $1.  $1 dollah, $1 dollah, $1 dollah.

$3 Day Pass. $3 gets you a full day of riding the entire SporTran system (which includes the Downtown Circulator).

$15 Monthly Pass. $15 gets you a full MONTH of leaving the downtown driving to others. A deal! (This pass is for the Downtown Circulator only.)

Ride for FREE Nov. 12-18!

Yes, there IS such a thing as a free ride! The first week of the new bus routes and service, SporTran is encouraging everyone to give it a try FOR FREE. During this week, jump on the orange buses downtown (or SporTran buses anywhere, for that matter) and get used to them. Get comfortable, put your feet up (metaphorically, that is) and get used to the ease of letting professionals do the driving for you!

DDA Admin
Author: DDA Admin