Mississippi State University has partnered with the city of Starkville and the Mississippi Department of Transportation to implement a new public transportation system.
Mike Harris, director of Parking Operations, said the new shuttle plan will add three shuttle routes to the existing six campus routes.
Harris said if everything goes according to plan, the new routes will start in August of 2013.
MSU will purchase 12 new buses for the routes, he said.
One new route, called the campus connector route, will connect campus to downtown Starkville, with stops in the Cotton District and Main Street. Harris said MSU plans to use trolleys for this route instead of standard shuttle buses.
“We want to play up the historical aspect of that area,” he said. “I think the trolleys will add historic appeal to the route.”
Harris said the second route is a city-circular route.
There will be two shuttles that loop around Starkville and make stops at medical facilities, public housing, Walmart, the shopping areas near Kroger and Piggly Wiggly and the Sportsplex.
 ”This route will provide numerous opportunities for shopping and visiting places like the hospital,” he said. “It’s strictly a Starkville route – it won’t touch campus.”
Harris said the third route is already in place, with new stops to be added when the plan takes effect.
The route currently runs from the Sportsplex on Lynn Lane to Montgomery Hall on campus.
“We’re going to add stops by Spruill Apartments and by the Grove Apartments areas,” Harris said. “This will be a great opportunity for residents of these areas to utilize the shuttle system.”
Bill Broyles, assistant vice president for Student Affairs, said MSU used demographic information from Starkville to select areas with high densities of student residents.
“We chose the most student-populated areas in the hopes that students will take advantage of this transportation opportunity,” he said. “We are committed to making this something our students want to use.”
Bryce Moore, a junior nutrition major, said he already uses the Sportsplex route and is excited about the addition of stops for next year.
“It’s awesome because I don’t have to fight for parking on campus, and it saved me $125 on a parking decal,” he said. “The new stops will actually be even closer to my apartment than the Sportsplex is, so that will be even better.”
Harris said the new routes will meet a growing need for public transportation in the Starkville area.
He said the transportation will be free to both students and Starkville citizens.
“There is a definite need in our community for our citizens to get where they need to go,” he said. “We’re excited to be able to help out in this way and serve our community.”
Broyles said in addition to serving the community, MSU hopes to become more environmental-friendly by decreasing the number of cars on campus.
“This new transportation plan is going to reduce congestion on campus and reduce the need to keep paving new parking lots,” he said. “Add in the fact it will reduce carbon emissions and reduce our carbon footprint, and it’s an all-around winner.”