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Sorry about last week. Apparently there is a valid reason not to sit outside in a park when it’s cold and rainy. You learn something new every day! But I’m back, obviously, and I’m stronger than ever. I’m so strong, in fact, that I can lift a lizard with my pinky. Wow. Thanks. I’ve been working out. Know what else is strong? A bus. Did you know that a bus can lift New Orleans? Yes, I’m telling you this with a straight face. (Some of you know I can’t lie too easily. I start giggling. Trust then, that I’m being earnest.) By the conclusion of this blog, you’ll understand what I’m getting at. If you’ve got a question, send it over to me here. You’ll be doing us all a favor. Prosit!

Question: How can a bus lift New Orleans?

Answer: By giving free rides.

It’s come to my attention that way too many people aren’t aware of the free bus that runs between Baton Rouge and New Orleans. So that’s my job this week. I’m a giant PSA and endorser of the LA Swift bus. I’d say I was whoring myself out to the Department of Transportation and Development, but I’m not. I’m just a fan. And I’m here to make you a fan as well.

Back to the day of Oct. 31, 2005, FEMA started funding a free bus service between our lovely cities, so people could commute back and forth. LA Swift’s tagline says “Because you want to work and we want to help.” It’s true. There are people in Baton Rouge who want to work in New Orleans and vice versa. And the bus doesn’t just want to help. It does help. Since its inception, more than 321,159 rides have been taken on the bus (a ride constitutes a one-way trip). April 11, when the last count was taken, 728 rides occurred that day. Per usual, things have changed, FEMA’s out of the picture and now DOTD and the governor’s office have picked up the tab through June 30. Part of the governor’s executive budget for `07 and `08 includes money to fund the service for next year, which involves a $6 fare per person per trip. I could get more into the intricacies of how the funding works, but I’ll spare you. It’s just FREE. I’m going to keep saying free like a mom saying “YOUR FACE IS GOING TO GET STUCK LIKE THAT IF YOU DON’T QUIT.”

How does it work? Well, you get on and sit down. Duh. Seriously it’s almost that easy. The complete schedule can be found here. Sunday I rode the 4:55 p.m. N bus from New Orleans to Baton Rouge. It picks you up at Elk Place and Canal Street. I got a friend (tried and true you are!) to drop me off 15 minutes or so before the scheduled pick up. It’s not a park-and-ride sort of deal. There’s no place to leave a car at the spot so don’t bring it. But you can stow your bike in the belly of the bus. Then the bus rolls up and you get on, sit down and go! There’s no ticket. There’s no pushing. There’s no priority. All passengers were actually on the bus and it was puttering along by 4:55 p.m.

Sometimes people equate “free” with “cheap,” but that’s not the case here. This was a charter-type bus, air-conditioned (pack a sweater), clean and comfy. The seats were even decked out in fleur-de-lis fabric. Come on. It doesn’t get any better than that. By 6:15 p.m.-ish I was dropped off at the CATS terminal on Florida at 22nd. Sure things can go wrong, like a bus can break down or there may not be enough space for everyone, but that comes with the territory and summons patience we all have.

I realize I’m not the kind of rider the bus was created for. I didn’t go to New Orleans to work, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t help grease the gears. “The idea is to get people working in New Orleans even if they can’t live there,” says Mark Lambert with DOTD. “The idea is to keep those people in state, working in New Orleans so that the recovery can continue. We want the city to have some time to recover.”

So my money, my time in New Orleans, they help out recovery. It’s a part of the process. And so is the bus. “I think in the larger sense it’s benefiting the economy and the long-range outlook for the city,” says Lambert. “It’s one little piece that keeps the city alive.”

Yes, one little mighty piece that lifts a lot of weight. Thanks to Mark Lambert at DOTD and to anyone and everyone doing their part of the process, however large or small. (And now, I will stop writing about buses. I promise.)