E2 Airport Route Jefferson Transit

Getting from the airport to downtown I’ve never experienced any delays as the bus is usually on time at airport. However, I once tried to take this bus from downtown to airport and it was more than an hr late before I had to get a taxi so I wouldn’t miss my flight. There is no reliable way to check to see where your bus is in this situation which is frustrating to those who don’t have the luxury of being able to get a taxi if bus is late. Reccomend for service from airport to downtown during day on a weekday if time isn’t N issue, but not from DT to airport as my only experience trying was bad

Dirt cheap way of getting from the New Orleans Airport (MSY) into the city center, although significantly more limited during the weekend. Please note that the ‘E’ in E2 does NOT stand for Express, as the stops ~every 2 blocks with a pretty heavy ridership, making this a local route via some busy surface streets thru Jefferson Parish into the Big Easy.
If you’re heading to the hotels near the French Quarter, be prepared to walk several blocks thru the Tulane Medical Center area, and have a very in-​your-​face urban experience as you make your way to your destination — I would NOT recommend this if you have a fair amount of luggage to tote or during non-​daylight hours. Weekend service doesn’t get you this close to the city center, so you should take a cab or shuttle from/​to MSY.
Bottom line, if you’re:
–traveling light
–on a budget
–arriving/​departing during daylight hours on a weekday
–time is not an issue
then the E2 is an acceptable and very economical transport option between the airport and city center.

So it’s not the fastest way between the airport and downtown/​French Quarter. But it is the cheapest way. M-​F it’s a 4, Saturday and Sunday it’s a 2.5 or 3. On my way into down on a Wednesday morning it took about 45 minutes from the airport to the last stop about a secen minute or so walk to my hotel. As compared to a shuttle which would cost $ 20 and be 25 – 45 minutes or a cab costing closer to $ 35 but maybe making the trip in 20 – 25 minutes. I didn’t mind the slower drive and bit of a walk knowing that the money I saved would pay for a nice meal in NOLA.
Now, on Saturday going to the airport it was more of a hassle. I had to take a bus to the E-​2 bus, and the total trip was closer to 60 – 75 minutes. I like walking so I walked down to Canal, took the street car (which was a new experience), then walked half a mile to the E-​2 bus. Total cost of $ 3.25 and closer to 75 minutes total trip, but still way cheaper than a cab and it was a nice day out. So it just meant spending less time in the airport.

45 minutes!
Every once in a while the joy in traveling is doing something differently, or cheaper or just smarter and easier. Riding Jefferson Transit is one of those things. And who doesn’t like saving money.
A friend of mine turned me on to this. I guess it’s meant for locals to get from New Orleans to the airport, but it’s also a really cheap way to get to the Central Business district from the airport and back.
The bus leaves from a clearly marked stop on the second level across the way from the terminal. Unfortunately it stops running around 7 pm. There’s a schedule posted at the bus stop.
Since the bus stopped running I took a taxi along with two women who were heading to a hotel next door to mine. It still ended up being $ 30 dollars or so since we ended up being charged separately. How ridiculously. I felt ripped off while the two women made out only slightly better than had they taken a taxi by themselves.
So I am grateful that there’s an alternative. Coming back, however I had difficulty finding where the bus left from — a similar experience to what Jennifer K. described. It was frustrating but I called the number for Jefferson Transit and they helped me locate the stop. I had already walked for about 15 minutes from the French Quarter and I wasn’t about to walk back.
Once aboard the bus wasn’t very crowded and while it was slow compared to a cab, I did get to see some of New Orleans I hadn’t seen before. It’s pretty much a straight shot with a lot of stops, but I timed it and sure enough it was only 45 minutes to the airport. And only $ 2.

this is an awesome alternative to go from MSY to FQ if you have some time and are arriving/​leaving on a weekday (it does not run during the weekend) 530am — 7pm. pickup at airport for E2 bus to the city is right outside the AA exit and comes every 25 minutes. the last stop is at tulane/​loyola and then the bus loops back to the airport i believe.
you can walk two blocks to take the red canal street car south to the FQ or walk (bourbon st is 2 blocks east and approx 4 blocks south from the tulane/​loyola stop).
the e2 bus is clean and safe. fare is $ 2 vs. $ 33 for 1 or 2 ppl in a cab or $ 20 for the airport shuttle = what a bargain. from MSY to tulane/​loyola it took 40 minutes ish.

So glad I took the E2 Airport Bus. It’s clean, it’s safe, it’s relatively quick.
If you’re traveling during the weekdays and during normal business hours (check the online bus schedules to make sure), there is no reason why you shouldn’t take the E2. It took maybe 45 minutes to get into downtown; sure, it was a little longer than the 15 minutes via cab, but $ 2 versus $ 33 is a no brainer.
Drops you off near the central business district, then it’s a pleasant 15 minute walk to the French Quarter.

E2 is great if you are not in a rush and don’t have a flight to catch!
For $ 2, the price cannot be beat…
But be careful if they have a detour. I was dragging my carry on walking around and just could not find the stop I should be boarding! Even the doorman didn’t realize the detour and sent me to the station that no longer in use.
I finally found that «stop» which is really a side street intersection with no signs and I just suppose to stand there and the bus would come? I almost gave up and get a taxi…
So it took me 1 hour on the bus to get to Airport from CBD. I did make my flight with time to space.
I would take E2 again next time when I visit NOLA again, but I just make sure I give myself plenty of time!

I had ask how to get to the bus stop from the lower terminal, certainly the signage could be better. I would rather spend my money on fun stuff as opposed to transport, so I took the bus from the airport to NOLA and back again. If like saving money this is your cheapest option so take it. Do yourself a favor and have exact change. The way back was harder because it was the weekend, but at least I didn’t have to cab it.

The bus from the airport to the city was great and convenient. The bus from the city to the airport however SUCKED! There were no signs saying that the E2 would pick up and where it would pick up. The downtown area was under construction and the schedule was on a «detour». They could at least post temp signs. Price was good ($ 2pp vs $ 50 for cab)

$ 2 to get into the city versus $ 33? Great deal. I found the bus quick and efficient. I waited less than 5 minutes for the bus once I got to the stop on the 2^nd floor by the Delta counter. Within 30 minutes, I was at Tulane and Broad walking to my hostel.
For the budget traveler, this is an excellent deal and if you have the time, take the bus. Spend your savings on some Abita.

Quick clean fairly fast and only $ 2 to downtown from the airport. The next best thing is the airport shuttle which can be just as slow or slower depending on the stops it has to make (lots of stops to drop ppl off downtown makes the Shuttle slow while the e2 doesn’t stop often in the city.) only thing is that the e2 doesn’t go downtown on the weekends or weeknights

On the second floor of the airport at the island, there is a small sign that says «E2 Airport Bus» that takes you to Canal Street for $ 2 that runs every 20 min. which beats car and shuttle for at least $ 20 and up. Inside of the bus is freezing so grab a sweater before you go in but the bus driver was super nice and even gave me his map of the city. The bus takes about 30 min. Not bad at all.

08/​09/​2011 — 07:40 am
My first steps out of the Airport into NOLA territory was like a muggy warm hug even in the early Morning as the Buses and Cars zoom by me to pickup or dropoff frequent Flyers. I took the few steps to wait at the Stone Bench to wait for E2 Airport-​Downtown Express JeT ($ 2.00) to arrive every 30 minutes or so which comes around as early as 5:20 am while last Bus being roughly 9:20.
E2 arrived and left towards Downtown as scheduled. Feed those Green Dollars Bills or Coins in to the corresponding slot, hear the sound and grab a seat. My fellow Torontonians would recognize this the same as any Toronto Transit kneeling Buses. Thank NOLA this transport had A/​C as it took roughly an hour to arrive to CBD right next to the New Orleans Library, Tulane University and even City Hall.
There’s a panel that has the Date/​Time scrolling across so you know how late you will be but then it’s because of the friendly service of all the Drivers willing to assist and wait for elderly and such. I especially like the «Stop Requested» sound of the sweet electronic lady which is almost like it came from a video game. All GPS should sound like that.
I even saw a small sewage stream along the side of the Jefferson Parish path that looked like a miniature Swamp along with mini Swamp Birds digging around. Swamp Tour, check!

Phew! I finished up all my NOLA NYE reviews before the end of Mardi Gras!
To ring in 2011 the right way, the girlfriend & I spent the week around New Year’s Eve in New Orleans. During that short time, we discovered a historic city with long traditions of great music, outstanding food & continuing perseverance.
The math is simple, 2 bucks instead of 33. Sure, it’s a pain-​in-​the-​ass for a few reasons:
+ It’s not easy to find at the airport. It’s upstairs, outside & nowhere near the area all the ground transportation signs are directed.
+ It’s slow. It could take close to an hour to ride from the airport to the end of route.
+ It ends at Tulane/​Loyola. It doesn’t run all the way to the French Quarter.
Despite these drawbacks, $ 33 for a cab ride just ain’t cool. So, take the $ 31 savings over that cab ride & buy yourself a half dozen happy hour cocktails as reward for all the inconvenience.

Instead of paying 33 dollars (plus tip) for a cab and increasing your carbon footprint, try taking the E2 on your next visit to New Orleans. It provides service from the Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport to downtown New Orleans during weekdays for just two dollars!
I took it this time around 3PM and walked directly to my hotel down common street. The trip took about 35 minutes and then another five minutes to walk. Travel time can vary since it is not an express and it only comes downtown during weekdays, but it wasn’t bad at all especially since I didn’t have much luggage. The bus is pretty big and there are spaces that you can sit in a circle that provide more space to stand or keep your luggage.
The airport bus stop is on the second level of the airport near the Delta Counter in the median. It is not on the ground transportation level! Simply stay on the level you arrive on turn right and head toward the Delta counter and then go outside and cross to the median. You will see a sign there and a bench. Downtown is the last stop. It drops you near Poydras and Loyola. From here you can walk about 4 or 5 blocks and cross Canal into the Quarter or head a few blocks to most downtown hotels.
It wasn’t a pretty bus or all that new, but it was perfectly functional and surprisingly large (and it does have good air conditioning). Perhaps if more people knew about it and started to take it they would invest in a nicer one. If you like to support infrastructure development, live more green, or just looking for a good deal, I urge you to check out the E-​2 airport route out on your next visit!
(It does not serve downtown on weekends or holidays. It comes about every 45 minutes. You can find a link to the schedule from the link I provided in the business information.)