A ribbon-cutting ceremony took place in honor of the Starkville-Mississippi State University Area Rapid Transit system on Mon., March 31. The ceremony took place at the Palmeiro Center located on campus. Mark Keenum, MSU President, said the benefits of the S.M.A.R.T. shuttle system at the ceremony.
Jeremiah Dumas, director of Parking, Transit and Sustainability, said the main goal, from a student perspective, is to give as many transportation options as the system can.
“We know that we can’t offer one parking place for every student, and so we don’t want parking to be the dominant way people get to and from campus or their private vehicle,” Dumas said. “This program is to really give them an alternative that is much more efficient for them.”
Jeanette Bailey, manager of shuttle operations, said S.M.A.R.T. has been dependable even while a great deal of construction is underway on campus.
“Anytime a road is closed, we’ll alter the route as needed,” Bailey said. “We will put it on the webpage to let everybody know.”
 
Bailey said S.M.A.R.T. transit shuttles are fueled every day, which is another component that proves their reliability.
“We require that all of our buses are fueled every day because in the event of an emergency we want our buses fueled and ready to go,” Bailey said.
Jennifer Gregory, CEO of the Greater Starkville Development Partnership, said her organization helps to promote S.M.A.R.T.
“It’s a wonderful, wonderful service for the campus but also the community,” Gregory said. “One of the great things is that it’s so comprehensive that we’re able to market the S.M.A.R.T. system with some of our events.”
The downtown routes have recently experienced tremendous growth, and in the 2014 fall semester, Bailey said the routes will be expanded in the city.
“We are splitting the board town routes into two routes,” Bailey said.
The Board Town routes will be composed of two buses and the Board Town South will have two buses. The Old Main Express will also be extended to Green Oaks.
“Hopefully soon we will have our two trolleys that we’ve ordered to operate on the Old Main Express,” Bailey said.
She said these will be shuttle buses that are designed to look like a trolley and expressed that the trolleys will be a scenic bonus to historic Starkville.
For additional information on the S.M.A.R.T. shuttle system, students can contact Jeremiah Dumas at 662-325-3852 or Jeanette Bailey at 662-325-0407.