NEW BUS TERMINAL: Hundreds of people crowded into the brand new City Bus Terminal for its ribbon cutting in Shreveport yesterday. Among the special guests were Louisiana’s Governor John Bel Edwards. The facility dubbed the Sportran Intermodal Terminal is the first of its kind in the state featuring no-emission electric buses with special battery technology. It also has another unique distinction as Edwards pointed out.
"This is what's exciting is that we're in Shreveport, Louisiana in this new terminal" explained Edwards, "celebrating the second ever in the entire world, mass transit system that has buses employing this battery technology. The second system in the world to do that. Louisiana Transportation Secretary Shawn Wilson was also on hand, he offered more details as to how the bus terminal and electric buses will affect public transportation for not just the city but the region as well. "A lot of communities use CNG (natural gas) buses , they offer tremendous savings and value but not as much as the all-electric buses."
Construction on the facility was funded by the Federal Transit Administration at a cost of $5.8 million dollars. The FTA also awarded a $3.9 million dollar grant for the electric buses through the Low or No Emission Vehicle Program. The Sportran Intermodal Terminal has amenities such as an enclosed waiting area, public restrooms, customer information center, sales kiosk / convenience store, wifi and a food court. Operations at the terminal and the hub will begin on Sunday, November 12th.
