A new report from TransitCenter and the Eno Center for Transportation evaluates public-private transit service contracting, finding a cautionary tale in New Orleans among its six case studies.

"New Orleans' public transit system takes center stage in a new report [pdf] highlighting the boons and pitfalls of contracting out public transit services to private companies in the United States and Europe," writes Beau Evans.
The "A Bid for Better Transit" report—by New York-based TransitCenter and Washington, D.C.-based Eno Center for Transportation—focused on six cities in total, including Los Angeles, Vancouver, London, Stockholm, and Oslo in addition to New Orleans. "Given the risk of private companies' profit margins outweighing the public's interest, the New Orleans arrangement serves as a cautionary tale for other cities and transit agencies interested in contracting out public services to private companies," explains Evans of the report's findings.
The report's evaluation of New Orleans centers on the "delegated management" service contract the New Orleans Regional Transit Authority entered with Transdev, a large France-based transit company, in 2009.
Here's how Evans describes the report's summary of New Orleans' experience in that contract:
RTA's initial contract with Transdev in 2009 proved key to strengthening New Orleans' crippled transit system, the report says, pumping up RTA's ridership from 11.4 million in 2008 to 19.8 million in 2016. (Although that's down from RTA's peak post-Katrina ridership of 23 million in 2012, the report notes.) But the quick-fix, $65 million contract largely glazed over how RTA - and by proxy, New Orleanians - would retain oversight over the foreign company running its transit system.
The article by Evans includes a lot more detail of the history of the Transdev deal, including the most recent developments, dating back to August of this year.
FULL STORY: RTA private contract with Transdev scrutinized in new report

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

Congressman Proposes Bill to Rename DC Metro “Trump Train”
The Make Autorail Great Again Act would withhold federal funding to the system until the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA), rebrands as the Washington Metropolitan Authority for Greater Access (WMAGA).

The Simple Legislative Tool Transforming Vacant Downtowns
In California, Michigan and Georgia, an easy win is bringing dollars — and delight — back to city centers.

Albuquerque’s Microtransit: A Planner’s Answer to Food Access Gaps
New microtransit vans in Albuquerque aim to close food access gaps by linking low-income areas to grocery stores, cutting travel times by 30 percent and offering planners a scalable model for equity-focused transit.

This City Will Pay You to Meet Your Neighbors
A North Kansas City grant program offers up to $400 for residents to throw neighborhood block parties.

Commentary: Our Silence Will Not Protect Us
Keeping our heads down and our language inoffensive is not the right response to the times we’re in. Solidarity and courage is.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Smith Gee Studio
City of Charlotte
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
US High Speed Rail Association
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
Municipality of Princeton (NJ)