Sambhav Pyakurel

Hub City Transit ridership among University of Southern Mississippi students remains low, despite a route designed specifically for the campus.
According to the City of Hattiesburg, annual ridership on the Gold Route was 2,615 in 2020. The university enrolls more than 13,000 students.
Some students say the system does not meet their needs.
“I would like to use HCT to get to class, but long waits and no stops near my apartment keep me away,” said Aakash Khanal, a sophomore at Southern Miss. “I have to wait 15 to 20 minutes for the bus in this scorching heat. It’s just not fun.”
Another student, Smarika Neupane, said she faced similar challenges.
“HCT is not convenient for getting to class,” she said.
Neupane said she attempted to use other lines, such as the green and blue routes, to reach the grocery store but found them unreliable.
“I’ve got different classes at different times in different buildings and waiting for a bus to travel between two buildings is just not reasonable,” she said. “I tried using it to get groceries, but it was a fail too. The wait times and uncertainty aside, the times buses operate are so early that by the time I get home from classes and think about going to Walmart, HCT is already off the road.”
She said she eventually bought a car but would have considered not doing so if the transit system had later service or weekend hours.
“I have to pay around 300 dollars a month on just gas and insurance,” Neupane said. “As a student on a tight budget, I would much rather save that money for other things than on a car, but here we are.”
Transit operators report increased use.
“Ridership has gone up in recent years, and more than 100 students now use the bus daily,” said Lisa, a Gold Route operator.
She said the system plays a vital role for many residents.
“We are the cheapest way to travel, so for some elderly people and handicapped people this is their only way to hospitals and grocery stores,” she said.
City officials plan to expand service in the coming years. The Hub City Transit master plan, released in March 2022, recommends more frequent buses, longer service hours, additional routes and crosstown connections. Future expansions include routes from Petal to U.S. Highway 98.
Hub City Transit is funded largely through federal and local contributions, with fares accounting for about 7% of its revenue.