Vicksburg took the plunge Monday and agreed to spend $347,292 from a federal grant to buy six buses, returning scheduled transit service to the city for the first time in about 40 years.

After the meeting, Evelyn Bumpers, hired last month as Vicksburg’s transportation director, said she expects the 25-passenger buses to arrive in about 90 days and begin rolling by March 1.

&#8220Our intent is to have the people in place, trained and ready to go when the vehicles hit the ground,” Bumpers said.

Each bus will be air-conditioned and handicap-accessible.

Bumpers, who spent 10 years as executive director of Meridian’s public transportation system, said public transportation is an integral part of a city.

&#8220I can’t see how a city this size has not had a public transportation system,” Bumpers said.

Meridian, she said, has had a public transportation system since 1972.

Vicksburg’s city limits cover about 33 square miles, while Meridian’s cover about 42. According to 2000 U.S. Census, Meridian had a population of 39,968 with 10,936 living under the federal poverty level. Vicksburg had a population of 26,407 with 5,893 people living below poverty.

Bumpers said the hardest part of starting the system in Vicksburg will be educating people on how to use it.

The new director of the Meridian public transportation system, Patricia Flowers, said Bumpers revived her city’s struggling bus system.

&#8220She brought our transit system back from ashes,” Flowers said. &#8220I think at one point they had shut it down completely.”

Flowers said Meridian’s system is funded by the city and the Mississippi Department of Transportation.

The brakes were put on Vicksburg’s last public bus system in the mid-1960s. Since, city officials have discussed a return and a Chamber of Commerce-centered group endorsed seeking grant funds.

Bumpers said the exact routes are being worked on, but they will run approximately 40 minutes and will be north and south along Washington Street, south to Pemberton Square mall off Halls Ferry Road, north to River Region Medical Center on U.S. 61 and east and west on Clay Street.

The proposed fare is $1.50 with that income paying about 10 percent of the system’s costs. The rest will be supplemented with public funds or, possibly, through advertising revenue.

Hours initially will be from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., Bumpers said. However, she said interest could increase or otherwise alter the hours.

Wayne Mansfield, city planner, said federal authorities awarded the city $488,000 for capital purchases, which is how the city purchased the buses. A terminal is to be selected.

Additionally, there are five-year verbal commitments from area businesses, nonprofit agencies and Warren County to provide more than $200,000 to help start up the system. Each entity may opt out of its commitment after one year if problems arise, such as low ridership.

MDOT has committed an 80 percent match grant and a 50 percent grant. Mansfield said the state will fund 80 percent and the city will come up with 20 percent of capital purchases such as the bus stops. Included in this fund is the $27,500 salary for Bumpers to run the system for six months.