11/15/2013
Contact: Angela Gates
202-366-3669

NATCHEZ, Miss. – The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Transit Administration (FTA) today celebrated the opening of the Natchez Regional Transit Center and Maintenance Facility that will improve access to transportation options for transit riders who live and work in rural Southwest Mississippi. FTA Regional Administrator Yvette Taylor joined Mayor Larry L. “Butch” Brown and other state and local officials at a ribbon cutting event.

“Public transportation provides much-needed access to jobs, medical care and other vital services for residents in our nation’s rural communities,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx. “This new transit center will help connect thousands of people in Natchez, Adams County and the surrounding area to new jobs and new opportunities throughout the region.”

The Department has provided approximately $3.8 million toward the $4 million transit center, with the majority of funds coming from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The City of Natchez and Mississippi Department of Transportation are covering the remaining cost of the project.

“The Federal Transit Administration is proud to be a partner in Mississippi’s efforts to expand transportation options for seniors, students, hard-working families and others in Natchez and throughout the state,” said Federal Transit Administrator Peter Rogoff. “For many individuals in rural areas, public transit is often the only way to travel to work, school and other destinations. This new regional transit center will help give riders greater choices about how to get around.”

The new, state-of-the-art facility will improve mobility for residents in rural Southwest Mississippi, including the elderly and people with disabilities, and serve as a regional passenger transfer hub for the Natchez Transit System (NTS), a public, nonprofit organization that provides transportation services to residents in multiple counties of the state.

The two-story, 9,000 square foot building includes space for maintenance and storage of about 30 transit vehicles, a park and ride lot, and public waiting areas where transit riders can purchase tickets and get schedule information. The Natchez Transit System provides about 70,000 rides annually and will be coordinating with other transit providers in the region to expand transportation services available to riders at the new Natchez Regional Transit Center.