Interfaith Group Calls for Night Bus Service in Shreveport

September 16, 2005

Source: The Shreveport Times

http://www.shreveporttimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050916/NEWS01/509160325/1002/NEWS

On September 16, 2005 The Shreveport Times reported, "A combination of new legislation and Hurricane Katrina means night bus service in Shreveport, [Louisiana] could be a reality sooner than expected. The announcement was made at a meeting of religious leaders and city officials Thursday night at Mount Canaan Baptist Church. Northwest Louisiana Interfaith, an advocacy group, called the meeting with hopes of making a better case for SporTran night bus service. And they expected to hear that money was the main obstacle. But Kent Rogers, executive director of the Northwest Louisiana Council of Governments, excited many by saying the proposed expansion -- which would cost between $500,000 and $750,000 -- could be fully funded by the federal government... For years SporTran and the City Council have acknowledged that Shreveport's economy often requires non-standard shifts. The people who work those shifts often don't live nearby or have their own transportation. City buses don't run between 7 p.m. and 5 a.m... 'There was no question about the need,' Councilman Monty Walford said. 'There just wasn't the money'... Rogers and Eddy... credited Interfaith with being the issue's best advocate. 'What this is about is not simply transportation,' Interfaith organizer Perry Perkins said. 'It's showing what can happen when we cross the lines that have historically divided us.'"