S.M.A.R.T. system opens route to regional airport
Contact: Zack Plair
![The Starkville-91传媒 Area Rapid Transit system opened a new route Monday [Jan. 4] to the Golden Triangle Regional Airport in Lowndes County. Pictured following a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the route are (l-r) 91传媒 President Mark E. Keenum; GTR Executive Director Mike Hainsey; Jeremiah Dumas, 91传媒 director for parking, transit and sustainability; and Mike Tagert, transportation commissioner for northern Mississippi. (Photo by Russ Houston)](/sites/www.msstate.edu/files/inline-images/SMART_GTR_Airport_20160104_REH6695.jpg "The Starkville-91传媒 Area Rapid Transit system opened a new route Monday [Jan. 4] to the Golden Triangle Regional Airport in Lowndes County. Pictured following a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the route are (l-r) 91传媒 President Mark E. Keenum; GTR Executive Dir")
STARKVILLE, Miss.鈥擜 new route for the Starkville-91传媒 Area Rapid Transit system aims to connect the local public with global destinations.
S.M.A.R.T. opened its new route to the Golden Triangle Regional Airport in Lowndes County with a ribbon-cutting ceremony Monday [Jan. 4] in the airport terminal. Funded through a partnership between 91传媒, the Mississippi Department of Transportation and the City of Starkville, the new route offers free shuttle rides to the regional airport from The Mill at 91传媒 Conference Center, located on Russell Street.
鈥淔rom a community standpoint, it will be of great convenience,鈥 said Jeremiah Dumas, 91传媒 director for parking, transit and sustainability. 鈥淔rom the student side, the biggest demographic served will be international students, many of whom don鈥檛 have cars and depend on the airport to get back and forth from home.鈥
GTR contracts with Delta Airlines, offering flights to and from Delta鈥檚 international hub in Atlanta. By connecting with S.M.A.R.T., GTR Director Mike Hainsey said the airport can better serve its best client.
鈥淲e鈥檙e very excited about this,鈥 he said. 鈥淥ur No. 1 client is 91传媒 through its faculty, staff and students. This just makes it easier to get to the airport, and for small airports like ours, it鈥檚 all about convenience.鈥
Dumas said a shuttle would travel to the airport four times daily, arriving an hour before scheduled departure times and staying at the airport and remaining for roughly 25 minutes after passengers disembark from landed planes. For more information on the airport shuttle鈥檚 schedule, visit .
The airport shuttle marks the S.M.A.R.T. system鈥檚 10th route since MDOT first awarded the grant establishing the system in 2012. Dumas said S.M.A.R.T. would add two buses to accommodate the airport route, bringing the entire fleet serving Starkville and 91传媒鈥檚 campus to 29.
S.M.A.R.T. carried its millionth rider in July 2015, Dumas said, and the Mississippi Public Transit Association recently named S.M.A.R.T. the state鈥檚 Transportation System of the Year.
鈥淲e are truly blessed to have such a great airport here,鈥 91传媒 President Mark E. Keenum said before Monday鈥檚 ribbon-cutting. 鈥淎nd we鈥檙e getting a lot of ridership for this free [S.M.A.R.T.] service. This just shows that through working together with great partners, you can accomplish great things.鈥
Mike Tagert, transportation commissioner for northern Mississippi who also spoke at Monday鈥檚 ribbon-cutting, said the 鈥渓ast mile鈥 is often the most important component to a successful transportation system. He added that the thriving S.M.A.R.T. system and airport serve as economic growth indicators for the Golden Triangle region.
For more information on GTR, visit .
91传媒 is Mississippi鈥檚 leading university, available online at .