Supes vote in support of SMART paratransit expansion
The Starkville-msu Area Rapid Transit (SMART) bus system will receive $50,000 from Oktibbeha County to help expand its routes into the county and serve more citizens.
At its regular meeting Monday, the Oktibbeha County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved the measure following a presentation given by Mississippi State University Parking and Transit Coordinator Jeremiah Dumas. In his presentation, Dumas answered supervisors' questions and updated the board on future plans for the S.M.A.R.T system. The $50,000 will bring paratransit services county-wide, after Oct. 1, when S.M.A.R.T'S next fiscal year begins.
“As part of the process, we're required to have a public hearing,” Dumas said. “A couple of years ago, we had a public hearing here. This year, as we've had discussions with some of you about service in the county, we're coming back to have another public hearing with you to talk about some of the details we see and needs we've had brought to us requesting services in the county and the solutions we might be able to provide for some of those needs. “
Dumas said the system was funded primarily by federal rural mass transit funds through the Mississippi Department of Transportation. The system operates on the federal fiscal cycle, which starts in October. The system's facilities are an 80/20 cost share between the government and the community, and the daily operating costs are 50/50.
‘”This past year was the first year that the city has actually provided cash match to us,” Dumas said. “Every year since the beginning of the program, the city has provided in kind services, but this is the first year that they have provided cash match.”
Dumas said the paratransit services offered by SMART were what was most requested in the county. Paratransit services allow the system to serve individuals beyond the reach of the system's usual routes, as long as they fit certain criteria. The process requires a doctor's note and other approvals.
“We bring you to our office for an inhouse conversation with us about your desires and what your expectations are for our program, then we provide your door-to-door program.”
He said the program had a ridership of more than 3 million since it began in 2014, and had made more than 1,300 wheelchair trips so far this year. The service is also in the process of acquiring more wheelchair vans.
He also said the system was healthy, because of higher ridership numbers in December 2018 and January, when Mississippi State University students were out of town. The system also boasted a 32 percent increase in ridership on its city routes in fiscal year 2018.
SMART is also required to participate in a regional transit program, which could theoretically carry a person in need of transportation across an entire region using various networks. The SMART system's mobility manager is the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians in Philadelphia, Mississippi. If anyone in the state wishes to have transportation services, they can call the mobility manager and arrange transportation.
“That goes across the state,” Dumas said. “There's fares associated with that. You're paying for the service, but there is a method by which if you need transportation, then you can get across the state through these transportation systems.”
The board also approved a resolution to apply for block grant funds for a new Boys and Girls Club facility in the county. Golden Triangle Boys and Girls Club CEO Nadia Colom made a presentation on the new facility at the board's prior meeting, after which the board voted in support of applying for the grant.