Sport Tran urges uniform bus‑offenses ordinance; Amtrak station update presented

A Sport Tran official told the commission the agency has grown ridership substantially and asked the parish to mirror city ordinances criminalizing offenses on buses so passengers and employees receive the same protections outside city limits.

Legal staff explained the proposed ordinance, 66‑31, would mirror Shreveport’s existing rules for offenses on buses so charges are consistent across jurisdictions. Sport Tran’s representative said the system has grown from roughly 2 million to nearly 5 million annual riders and that coordination with the sheriff’s office is under way to provide transit policing.

The Sport Tran speaker also provided an update on Amtrak discussions: the agency said it has identified a likely station site adjacent to a Sport Tran city location and is pursuing testing and approvals with Amtrak and the Southern Rail Commission; a test train and tentative service could come within about 1–2 years, the speaker said.

Commissioners thanked Sport Tran and advanced ordinance 66‑31 for introduction at Thursday’s meeting. Administration said it would continue coordination with transit and law‑enforcement partners.

Why it matters: Mirroring city ordinances would create consistent criminal charges across municipal and unincorporated routes and supports expanded transit service; the Amtrak update signals progress on multimodal connectivity that could affect regional transportation planning.