Stacy Van Sickle, general manager and grants manager for the River Parishes Transit Authority (RPTA), reported to the Saint Charles Parish Council on Jan. 12 that ridership held steady from 2024 to 2025 (19,240 to 19,157 trips) despite a one-hour daily reduction in service begun Sept. 1.

Van Sickle said most trips are work commutes and medical appointments (notably dialysis), that about 26% of trips originate in Saint Charles Parish and about 25% end in the parish, and that roughly 80% of riders book trips through an online Cityways system. Farebox revenue for 2025 was $38,592; Van Sickle estimated local matching support at about $475,000 annually from the parishes.

She told council members that transit systems do not fully pay for themselves, that state funding formulas for rural service have shifted and some FTA grant opportunities are no longer available, and that one rider recorded as many as 40 trips in a month. Van Sickle offered to provide repeat-user passenger data upon request.

Council members asked about same-day booking and data on repeat users; Van Sickle said Cityways allows bookings up to 30 days ahead and that same-day booking is not available without advance scheduling. The council did not take action on the report; members thanked RPTA staff for the presentation.