Last semester, plans for new bus routes were proposed that would connect the Mississippi State University campus to the city of Starkville. At this time, these plans are close to becoming a reality.
In the meeting last semester, Mike Harris, director of parking and transportation, and Bill Broyles, assistant vice president of Student Affairs, explained the details of each proposed route and allowed the public to ask questions and voice concerns about them.
Broyles stressed the ideas of how this would improve parking and traffic congestion on campus in an economically friendly way. He said he still focuses on those aspects now as the plans are coming together.
“I think this will reduce the amount of traffic on our streets, relieve some of the parking congestion on campus and result in a cleaner environment for us all,” he said.
Two of the routes will allow students to park off campus and ride a shuttle onto campus for little or no cost. These routes are being called the “park and ride” routes.
The first of these will allow students to park in the Scales parking lot or the Sportsplex parking lot near the intramural sports fields for a half-priced parking permit. The second route will allow students to park at the rec-plex on Lynn Lane for free and catch a shuttle to campus. Two shuttles will run from the Lynn Lane bus stop. These two routes will begin this coming fall.
An on-campus parking permit for next year will cost $115, so the permit allowing a student to park in the Scales lot or the Sportsplex will cost only $58. Also beginning next fall, students can purchase an evening permit for $8. This permit will allow students to park in the Lynn Lane parking lot from 7 a.m. until 5 p.m. After 5 p.m., the permit allows students to park on campus as long as they are off campus by 7 the next morning.
These routes will begin in August and will utilize the buses already owned by MSU.
Jeanette Bailey, manager of shuttle operations, said she expects these routes to have a great effect on and around campus.
“I hope this will facilitate easier parking and expedite the transportation from the outside of campus to the inner core of campus,” Bailey said. “With Aiken Village shutting down and the shortage of on-campus housing, a lot of students are living near Lynn Lane, and this will provide them with an easier way to get to campus.”
The other bus routes planned will connect campus to the surrounding community of Starkville. They will provide students with a means of transportation to shopping centers, banks and other desired destinations off campus.
A bus system like this one has been attempted in the past, but it was put to an end because of problems in the system. In the past attempt, there were no set bus stops. Instead, passengers would tell the bus where they needed to be dropped off and would have to hail a bus when they were ready to be picked up.
The new system will have set bus stops with permanent shelters as protection from weather. Each shelter will be equipped with an LED screen that will show when the next bus will arrive at that specific location.
These routes will require new buses to be bought. Because of this, the committee applied for a grant from the Mississippi Department of Transportation on March 1. Once the committee receives word it has received the grant, it will begin looking toward buying the buses and shelters. If the committee receives the grant, the money will be awarded in October. Therefore, these routes will not be ready to go into effect for another year.
Harris said the park and ride routes, however, are set to go into effect in the fall.
“We will run these routes whether we get the grant or not,” Harris said. “It’s a done deal.”