Jackson residents will soon enjoy a new public transportation system, Mayor Chokwe A. Lumumba announced on Monday alongside City Planning and Development Director Chloe Dotson and Deputy Director of Transportation Christine Welch. The new JTRAN system upgrades should be completed by January 2024, Welch said.
“This is one of the most exciting days we’ve had in this city in the last few years,” she said. The announcement comes two years after the City of Jackson first began updating its public transportation routes after 30 years with no changes.
Welch and Dotson announced several updates which include air conditioning and Wi-Fi on all buses, new route signage, more accessible buses, an updated website and an app that would allow riders to keep track of bus routes including arrival and departure times.
“There will be no more calling the City asking, ‘Where’s my bus?’” Welch said, explaining that city leaders had South Jackson, in particular, in mind when planning the upgrades.
“South Jackson currently has one bus. South Jackson will have four. (People) can now function within their community to get to medical, get groceries and get their hair done. These amenities will now be available within your community without having to make an hourslong trip to Union Station to get on a bus and then get where you need to go,” Welch said.
Although the final upgrades will not be completed until 2024, Welch said new signage should be installed over the next 3-4 weeks. Additionally, the City is expanding the JTRAN hours and days of service.
The illustration shows the hourly capacity of a 3-mile wide lane by different modes at peak conditions with normal operations. Jackson Mayor Chokwe A. Lumumba said he envisions a future where Jackson is a multimodal mobility city. Graphic courtesy Global Designing Cities Initiative
“Currently, we pull out at 5 o’clock (in the morning) and your first bus makes it back into Union Station at 6:15 (in the evening). We’ll start pulling out, under the new system, at about 4:30 (in the morning) and the buses will come in now after 8 o’clock (in the
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