Students will no longer have to wait at shuttle stops wondering when the shuttle will arrive.
Mississippi State University Parking Services created a live map for students to view where the shuttle is and when it will be at each shuttle stop. The site can be viewed on the Internet application with smart phones.
“The question we get most often is ‘When is the shuttle going to be here?’ so we have found a solution to that question,” said Mike Harris, director of Parking Services.
The website gives viewers two options: view the live bus map or view the arrival times according to which shuttle stop viewers are located.
“We are hoping the website will take some of the frustrations out of riding the shuttle,” Harris said. “We are also getting LED signs that are linked to the website to hang at shuttle stops for people who do not have Internet on their phones.”
The signs should be up at some of the shuttle stops in the next few months, Harris said.
He encourages students to use the shuttle system MSU offers because it is a convenient way to travel around campus, he said.
The first couple weeks of each semester are hard for commuters because they aren’t sure what time they need to get to campus to get a parking spot or where they are allowed to park, Harris said.
“But after about two weeks, people should start to understand how it works and parking will get easier,” he said.
For students frustrated about parking, Harris offers advice of parking at the Humphrey Coliseum and taking the shuttle to classes.
“We know students are having trouble finding parking where they want to park,” he said. “And I think as people become more familiar with the shuttle system that they will see it is a convenient way to get to classes.”
Parking Services has 11 shuttles on daily routes. There are two shuttles on the Maroon and Green routes, three shuttles on the Orange and Loop Routes and one shuttle on the Blue Route.
The Night Route is also running Thursday, Friday and Saturday night for students and the Game Day Route kicks off for the first football game.
Because of South Hall opening, Parking Services redesigned the Commuter East parking lot next to South Hall and McComas Hall. Part of the lot is Commuter East and the other part is South Zone, Harris said.
“We had to take some of the Commuter East parking and make it South Zone because the people living in the new dorm need parking closer to their dorm,” he said. “That is their home, so it is more important for them to have parking close to their dorm than it is for commuters to have parking next to their classroom.”
There is a new parking lot by the tennis courts and also more parking behind the Industrial Engineering building.
“With MSU growing, we are working to make sure there is enough parking for students,” Harris said. “I just encourage students to be patient with us until we can get everything running smoothly again.”