For two years, Stephanie Grandberry has lived on other people’s schedules.
When her son is in town, he drives her to work. If he’s gone, she stays with her mother. A trip to the grocery store or the doctor’s office is dependent on if her family members or coworkers have the time.
“If I don’t have no way to go, I can’t go nowhere,” Grandberry said.
Grandberry, 52, said she remembers what it was like to go to work and the grocery store whenever she wanted, but when her car broke down two years ago, everything changed. Relying on others for rides can come with guilt, she said.
“(My son’s) got his own family,” Grandberry said. “He’s got three kids and he’s got a fiancée, so I don’t want to have to work him so much.”
According to PolicyMap, which pulls data directly from the Census Bureau, Grandberry is not alone. In 2020, 932 housing units in Columbus had zero vehicles. The highest concentration of those households are in the eastern and southeastern parts of the city.
Roxanne Richardson’s car has been in the shop since last summer, meaning she has to organize rides to her jobs at Cracker Barrel and Pizza Hut.
“There have been times when I had to start out walking, and I’ll usually run into somebody I know and they’ll pick me up,” Richardson said. “… I just don’t really have a lot of set people to call for a ride. Sometimes my boss helps me get to work or coworkers.”
Having to pay those willing to pick her up or pay for an Uber – which can run anywhere from $6 to $30 for a one-way ride within city limits – can be frustrating, she said.
“It’s been a financial burden because I have to pay for a ride versus me … putting the money into my own car,” Richardson said. “It gets stressful. Some days I may have a hard time getting to work.”
For some, a public bus system could be life-changing, but a history of regulatory obstacles, administrative setbacks and an annual price tag of potentially millions of dollars has prevented transit from being established in Columbus.
‘Columbus needs a bus’
According to Columbus’ Safe Streets & Roads For All report published in 2025, there have been 11 crashes involving pedestrians and another six involving cyclists since 2019, many of which resulted in serious injury and one of which resulted in death.
While signage, bicycle lanes and crosswalk visibility were all taken into consideration, the report does not mention public transit as a potential solution.
Free transportation programs can improve access to health care services, reduce social isolation, increase access to employment and educational opportunities and decrease financial stress, according to a scoping review of 28 articles published in the Journal of Transport & Health in 2025.
On top of that, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that a lack of transportation can limit access to healthy foods.
“It affects your ability to go to the grocery store,” said Christina Chunn, instructor of health education at Mississippi University for Women. “If you can’t get to the grocery store, you may be stuck going to a convenience store somewhere else that doesn’t have as many healthy options or affordable options.”
Chunn said those without reliable transportation often struggle to stay employed, which impacts their access to health insurance. Public transit options provide a win-win situation for employers and employees alike, she said.
“It’s a win for businesses if they invest because … if you’re looking for workers, people are going to need transportation to get to work,” Chunn said.
Kris Mason works as a stocker at Dollar Tree and has never had a car. He said he relies on family members to give him rides to where he needs to go or he has to walk. Mason said there are many people who don’t have a car or a license, adding that public transit would benefit the community.
“It would help a lot of folks because people need to have a (bus) like in Starkville,” Mason said. “… Columbus needs a bus.”
Pierre Beard, former city councilman for Ward 4 and longtime, vocal public transit advocate, said a transit system could help older adults reach medical appointments and increase access to area schools, the library and work.
“It don’t have to be a full-time bus service, but it could be something during the peak hours,” Beard told The Dispatch.
Richardson said even if riders had to pay a fare, it would be less expensive than paying for Uber.
“I think it would make a great impact, not just for me but also for other people,” Richardson said. “There are a lot of other people that are working and may not have their own transportation and may have to use Uber and things like that that are very expensive. … I just feel like it would be great for the community.”
Previous failed attempts
In 2012, Indiana-based Lawrence Transit System approached the city of Columbus about establishing a bus service, but as a result of insurance regulations, historic district zoning hurdles, failure to meet deadlines and administrative miscommunication, their contract was voided.
Inspired by the attempt of Lawrence Transit System, Moses James Jr. approached multiple area organizations in 2017 seeking funding assistance for a demand-responsive bus system, but none could come up with the $186,000 he was looking for.
How does Starkville make it work?
Columbus’ next-door neighbor, however, has had a fare-free transportation option since 2014 when the campus-wide bus system expanded to service the city of Starkville. The system boasted almost 500,000 riders in 2025.
The Starkville-MSU Area Rapid Transit, or SMART, bus system is funded through a combination of federal grants and local contributions.
The Federal Transit Administration supports public transportation projects in areas with populations less than 50,000 through the Section 5311 Rural Areas Program which funds 80% of administrative costs for the SMART bus system, requiring a 20% local match.
Operating costs, such as paying for gas, repairs, tires and drivers, are split 50-50 between grant money and local funds.
“At the heart of those types of funds is to really focus on low- and moderate-income people in rural areas and give them transportation options that impact their quality of life,” Mississippi State University Executive Director of Transportation Jeremiah Dumas told The Dispatch.
Dumas said the SMART bus system in Starkville costs about $5 million to run annually, $2 million of which has to be provided locally. The lion’s share of the local match is covered by MSU parking revenue and is supplemented with $100,000 from the city of Starkville and other agreements with private housing companies in the city each year.
“I know for a fact that’s always been the biggest hurdle in Columbus,” Dumas said. “(That) is, being able to find a consistent source of matched funds.”
Dumas also serves as vice president for the Mississippi Public Transit Association and said the organization sees Columbus as a place that would benefit from public transportation.
“I can say hands down (Mississippi Department of Transportation) and MPTA see this area as a place that needs transit, and it’s a place that’s void of transit when you compare (it) to service areas across the state,” Dumas said. “ … MDOT would be more than happy to look at growth into the Golden Triangle area… but there has to be that sustained local match agreement to make it work.”
Vicksburg, the only other comparably-sized city in Mississippi with a public transit system, started its fixed-route bus system in 2006 with about $800,000 – more than $1.3 million in today’s dollars when considering inflation. About 40% of the startup costs came from local sources.
That city’s system costs close to $1 million to operate annually, according to the Eno Center for Transportation 2025 report, with Vicksburg covering $300,000 and federal and state sources subsidizing the remainder. Though the system is fare-based, the 2025 report notes those fares generate relatively little to assist with operating costs.
Is public transit in Columbus feasible?
Mayor Stephen Jones told The Dispatch in an email that the city has not discussed a bus transportation system since the 2025 election.
Even if demand is there, city and county officials said more research is needed, and sustainable funding would require partnerships with area organizations.
Trip Hairston, Lowndes County Board of Supervisors president, said he could see the benefit of transporting people between downtown and the Columbus Air Force Base or helping students at MUW and the Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science get around town, adding that the county would only get involved if something was already established in city limits.
“They would basically have to shoot all the misses out of that gun (and) work the kinks out before we would even … consider expanding it out to the other parts of the county,” Hairston said.
Jones said he does not believe it should be a funding priority for the city right now.
“One thing I would advise against as Mayor is the city biting off something that ends up eating into revenues that could otherwise be used for improvements to infrastructure, police and fire protection and quality parks and recreation facilities among other fixed obligations the city must meet,” Jones wrote in an email.
Dumas, however, said successfully bringing public transit to Columbus would require a joint effort from the city and county alongside other area organizations.
“If the commitment is truly there and the goal is there to establish a transit agency, it would (take) multiple partners – not just the city, but the city, the county, economic development agencies, people who want to focus on transportation – to come together and to commit to long-term sustained funding for transit,” Dumas said.
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You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 31 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
