First Draft

It turns out a lot of New Orleanians don’t have a car. If one were to stand on the side of the street and watch the modes of transportation pass by, they would see many pedestrians, especially in populated places like the CBD and French Quarter, many cyclists never wearing helmets, motor scooters, standing scooters, the basic sedan or van, buses, and the famous streetcar. 

I have been without a car for a little over a year. And while some places, like the Midwest or out West (where it takes more than a New Orleanian 15 minutes to get from point A to point B) a car is necessary, that is not the case in New Orleans.

As mentioned, for the most part, if one is to stay within Orleans Parish, they can get to their destination in about 15 minutes via a vehicle. But not all have cars, nor do they want them. 

See the city like a true New Orleanian: hop around on those old two feet, or jump onto the nearest RTA. 

I’ve heard many complaints about the RTA, which stands for Regional Transit Authority. But to this reporter, public transit is a cakewalk. I have no complaints. 

While I’m happy walking from Canal Street to Esplanade Avenue in about 30 minutes or so, sometimes, I’d like to take a load off. The 8 goes to Arabi, and will take one down Rampart, all the way out of Orleans Parish. 

Personally, I take the 91, which goes from the Main Library to the furthest corners of the city, Uptown, to the Tchoupitoulas Walmart. But it stops all down Esplanade, too. The bus makes over a dozen stops on my short route from the 7th Ward to the CBD every day. I never make it all the way to Walmart. I have no need.

The bus is typically on time, maybe running about 10 minutes or so late each morning. The evening is much more congested. Many more people are striving to get home from a long day at work. Not sure why the morning is so much slower. Not that it’s slow per se, but it is not nearly as filled as the 5:30pm bus. 

Maybe people have varying start times, but everyone agrees that when 5pm rolls around, the work is done for the day. 

Each bus shouts the stops at its riders, and there’s an electronic board that shares all closures or serviced buses and streetcars, located at the front of the bus. The back of the bus is elevated, and a much better view, but I always sit up front, ready to walk off. Some buses and streetcars have an electronic map that shows where the bus is in relation to its upcoming stops, but not the old ones. 

Thankfully, there’s the Le Pass app, which shows the live location of the buses, its route, its riders starting and ending points, and riders can also pay for their ride. It costs only $1.25 to ride RTA. This is a pretty good deal. It beats a car note or ungodly expensive car insurance that drains the wallets of nearly every car-driving Louisianan. We have some of the highest insurance in the country, especially in the New Orleans metro area.

I’ll take the bus or streetcar, thank you very much. 

If one is to travel one end of Canal Street to the other, from the CBD or French Quarter all the way to City Park or anywhere in Mid City as far as the Cemeteries, they should take the 47 or 48. These are red streetcars, not to be mistaken for the 49 which will turn onto Rampart, taking riders in a completely different direction. There are also green streetcars, much older and classic, that take one from the CBD to the Garden District. 

I don’t take the green ones. Truly, I have no need to head that way. I have everything I need in the realm of the Quarter and Mid City. 

New Orleans is split up well. Though it takes only 15 minutes to get anywhere, there’s no true need to leave one’s neighborhood. There are corner stores, grocery stores, an obscene amount of bars and restaurants tucked into residential streets. Point being, there’s plenty to do, plenty of convenience. 

If your car note and insurance keep climbing, or if you want to dodge the crazy, reckless, unlawful drivers within the city, try the RTA. It’s cheap, effective, and pretty reliable. 

Plus, who knows who you might meet? There is an array of diversity on the RTA. Every walk of life, every age, every occupation. It’s a gumbo pot. A perfect blend. See for yourself! It’s free entertainment, and nearly a free ride. Who can beat that?