When I was a kid it only cost about 10 cents to get anywhere around the city. You could get on the streetcar and get a transfer ticket with which you could use to get on a bus that was a connecting line.
Streetcars are not free and never have been. They cost $1.25 per ride and that price has not changed for decades. I don’t know how the city manages to continue with this price for streetcars and buses but they do. You can get your tickets for publice transportation online as well. And you can get special discounts too.
If you are a visitor and think you will be using public transportation a lot then you can go online, or use you smart phone to get an app with which you can track where the street car or bus is in its route. Streetcars run on Canal Street, with a spur off to City Park. The most scenic route is the St. Charles Avenue streetcar where you pass beautiful homes, hotels and places to eat.
You can get to Tulane and Loyola Universities and Audubon Park and Zoo. If you are paying cash it must be exact change, as the driver will not give you change. So you can either pay with a dollar and a quarter or with a quarters and nickels.
Streetcars are easy to use and a lot of fun to ride!