Meridian Transit System’s decision to cease operation, stopping all local bus service in Meridian, was the result of a lack of funding from the city, MTS Board President Bo Hawkins said Wednesday.

    The lack of a city bus service will not only impact Meridian residents, but students at Naval Air Station Meridian.

    In a statement released Wednesday from NAS Meridian Public Affairs Specialist Penny Randall, Naval Technical Training Center Meridian and Marine Aviation Training Support Squadron One on board NAS Meridian has had an average daily on board count of more than 500 students with the Meridian Transit System.

    The NAS Meridian news release also stated that the MTS route that services NAS Meridian was a service allowing the students the ability to acquire cost effective transportation to the city of Meridian.

    “NTTC Meridian and MATSS-1 accommodates a transient population of 18-24 year old entry level Sailors and Marines annually who rely upon alternative means of transportation. The majority of these students arrive at NTTC Meridian from boot camp without vehicles,” the news release read.

    Kirk Thompson, executive advisor to Mayor Cheri Barry, said the city is working to restore some sort of bus service. He also said MTS was advised in December to cut its services.

    Thompson said the city council, which sets the city’s budget, has cut the city’s contribution to MTS’ budget every fiscal year since 2008. The council has made cuts to the city’s contributions and to city departments in many of its recent budgets.

    “It’s real simple. It’s a lack of funding,” Hawkins said. “We’ve been cut in the last three (city) budgets. We’ve been cut in every budget in Mayor Barry’s term.”

    MTS also gets federal funding through the Mississippi Department of Transportation, but the amount is determined based on the city’s contribution — the less money the city puts into MTS, Hawkins said, the less federal funding MTS gets through MDOT.

    MTS received $47,500 from the city for the 2012 fiscal year, according to Hawkins. He said he could not remember how much MDOT had contributed.

    “Over the last two and half years, the city has cut our funding over 60 percent, and that cuts our federal match, so we just didn’t have the money to operate.”

    He said MDOT owns all of the MTS buses, and the city owns the MTS trolley.

    Thompson said the MTS board of commissioners voted unanimously to cease MTS service by Wednesday at 5 p.m., and that they notified the city of their decision around 2:30 p.m. on Thursday.

    “Within an hour of getting the news, Mayor Barry was on the phone with MDOT in Jackson trying to find out … how can we continue to operate the buses,” Thompson said.

    Hawkins said the decision was a long time coming.

    “It’s been a decision that we’ve been pondering for the last two years. We were able to continue operation last year because of federal stimulus funds, but the decision has been in front of us for two years.”

    He also said that MTS made sure city officials knew that the lack of city funding could cause MTS to shut down.

    “The city has been aware of this for some time,” he said. “We also sent a letter to the city requesting emergency funding, with no response at all from the city.”

    Hawkins said the letters were sent on February 6 and February 16.

    Thompson said that the city and the public were made aware during city council meetings that MTS was having financial troubles, but that city officials were not aware MTS was facing a shut down of service until the letter was sent. Thompson said the letter was from Hawkins, not from the entire MTS board.

    He said the letter asked for $50,000. He said that, since the mayor’s office does not set the city’s budget, the administration would not have been able to grant the request if they had wanted to.

    Now, MTS  and the city are both hoping that the shut down will be only a temporary interruption in service. Hawkins said MTS is in talks with an entity who may be interested in funding the bus service. He would not say what entity it was, saying that, “they asked us not to release the details.”

    “We are working on a plan now to let this interruption in service be as short as possible,” Hawkins said. “It’s not definite, but we’re very optimistic that we will be able to continue service.”

    Thompson said the mayor is working with MDOT and local non-profits to try to restore bus service.

    “The mayor definitely understands the need for this service,” Thompson said. “We’re hopeful. We’re very hopeful.”

    He said the mayor has requested that anyone who uses MTS contact the mayor’s office at (601) 485-1927 and leave their name, phone number, address, and a description of how they use the service.