New Orleans East bus service review by the RTA is under way.

The Regional Transit Authority will launch a survey this month to gather community input on bus service in New Orleans East, with planners aiming to implement changes in fall 2027.

The Regional Transit Authority plans to launch a survey later this month to gather community input on bus service in New Orleans East. The effort follows an RTA study in Algiers and comes as the agency finalizes recommendations for West Bank service changes. RTA leaders said they will use surveys, community meetings and on-bus observations and will form a project advisory committee of neighborhood groups, riders and business leaders. Agency officials aim to present proposals to the board and implement New Orleans East changes in fall 2027. Key details: - The survey and community engagement will focus on routes 61 Lake Forest–Village de L'Est, 62 Morrison–Bullard, 66 Hayne Loop, 67 Michoud Loop, and 68 Little Woods Loop. - Planners will collect data through surveys, meetings and time spent on buses with riders, and will form a project advisory committee of local stakeholders. - Proposed solutions must be "resource neutral" because the agency has a fixed number of vehicles. - RTA CEO Lona Edwards Hankins told the City Council Transportation Committee the agency is responding to community concerns about service changes made in recent years. - RTA expects to implement recommended changes for Algiers as soon as this summer to improve access to destinations such as grocery stores. - The agency is also seeking $120 million in Federal Transit Administration grants for a faster bus connection between New Orleans East and Algiers that, if funded, would run every 15 minutes and could be final by 2029. Summary: The RTA is using community engagement and technical analysis to develop proposals for New Orleans East bus service, with a survey launching this month and an advisory committee being formed. The agency plans to take proposed solutions to its board and aims to implement changes in fall 2027; Algiers recommendations may be adopted this summer. Efforts to secure federal funding for a higher-frequency connection between New Orleans East and Algiers are ongoing.