S.M.A.R.T. shuttle system ceremony on Monday
One of 21 buses used to support the S.M.A.R.T. shuttle system drives on campus. PHOTO: Megan Bean | Public Affairs
A formal ribbon-cutting for the new Starkville-Mississippi State University Area Rapid Transit system will take place Monday [March 31] at the Palmeiro Center on campus.
Open to all, the ceremony begins at 1:30 p.m.
MSU President Mark E. Keenum, MSU Vice President for Campus Services Amy Tuck, Starkville Mayor Parker Wiseman and Northern District Transportation Commissioner Mike Tagert will be among officials and community members taking part in the special event.
The new service represents an expansion of an earlier shuttle system that primarily was focused on the MSU campus. Free to all, it provides campus-to-city service between 7 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday-Friday. Two routes operate on Saturdays.
To set them apart from traditional vehicles, S.M.A.R.T. shuttles have been wrapped in graphics that incorporate distinct campus, city and Mississippi Department of Transportation images.
A Section 5311 Rural General Public Transportation Program grant through MDOT enabled MSU and Starkville become partners and expand the earlier campus system to now include campus and community routes.
Since launching at the beginning of the 2014 spring semester, the shuttle's ridership steadily has grown, according to officials.
Specific details about the system's routes are available at www.smart.msstate.edu.
For additional information, contact Jeremiah Dumas, director of parking, transit and sustainability, at 662-325-1827 or jpd1@msstate.edu.
Jim Laird | Public Affairs
