The Southwest Region University Transportation Center carried out a study on behalf of the United States Department of Transportation to evaluate approaches to regional transit fare integration in order to apply it in New Orleans.

The New Orleans area has long been served by multiple transit agencies, and travelers have accordingly needed to navigate conflicting fare structures and inflated prices. The purpose of the study was to synthesize best practices and lessons learned from both historical attempts at integration in the area and from contemporary efforts across the country. To this end, the researchers examined the history of regional fare integration in New Orleans, performed a literature review of the broader field, and examined three recent case studies of agencies from across the country. They used their findings to inform both a list of lessons learned from other fare integration efforts and to create a brief list of recommendations for a specific path forwards for the New Orleans area.