Baton Rouge, La – September 25, 2023 – Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome, Metropolitan Councilman Darryl Hurst, Capital Area Transit System (CATS), U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), and the Southeast Louisiana Veterans Health Care System (SLVHCS) announced today 25,000 bus passes for veterans. The initiative, “Thank You For Your Service: Veterans Bus Ridership Program,” includes 25,000 single ride passes and more than 600 seven-day passes with the CATS bus system.

Starting October 2, veterans can call either the VA Community Based Outpatient Clinic (CBOC), located at Baton Rouge South (7850 Anselmo Ln), by dialing 225-768-6420 or Baton Rouge North (7968 Essen Park Ave) at 225-761-3400 for details.

Veterans with VA health care appointments can request bus passes through their health care providers or request to speak with the SWS Designee. Veterans applying for homeless assistance can initiate request for bus passes during the intake assessment process with the on-call social worker.

Homeless veterans who come to Baton Rouge South (7850 Anselmo Ln) to complete the Homeless Intake process should inform the on-call social worker if they require transportation assistance. Based on the evaluation of their transportation needs, the on-call social worker will coordinate with the SWS Designee to issue the bus passes accordingly.

With the community's support and continued collaboration, initiatives like this mark a significant step towards honoring and assisting our nation’s heroes here in Baton Rouge and East Baton Rouge Parish.

(Pictured: Elena Branzaru, Mayor's Advisory Council on Veterans Affairs; Councilman Darryl Hurst; Troy Addison VA; Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome; Theo Richards, CATS; Dr. Daniel Kasprzyk, VA; Judy Edwards, VA)