After years of planning, the city officially unveiled the design of the buses set to roll in two days at the launch of its long-awaited public transit system Friday at the Vicksburg Convention Center.

The bus system, dubbed NRoute, will begin running routes Monday.

&#8220This has been a big deal,” Mayor Laurence Leyens told a crowd of about 80 people, most of them city, state or transportation officials attending by invitation.

The kickoff featured one of the five &#8220standard” buses, with a large NRoute logo painted on the sides along with the system’s slogan, &#8220We’ll Take You There.” There will also be a bus that focuses on tourist attractions – what Leyens called &#8220an ambassador bus” – that has scenes from the Vicksburg National Military Park, the Old Court House Museum, Antebellum homes and other sites painted on the side, said city communications director Barry Graham, who coordinated the application of the logos and the music to be played inside the buses.

Seven drivers, all but one veterans of the Vicksburg-Warren School District, also unveiled their &#8220retro” uniforms.

&#8220I challenge you to know your riders, and make it as fun as possible,” Leyens told the drivers. &#8220From the feedback I’m getting, partially because of the gas prices, y’all are about to be overwhelmed with ridership.”

The first buses are scheduled to pull out of their downtown headquarters at South and Walnut streets at 6 a.m. Monday. Each route begins at the downtown station at South and Walnut streets and will make stops at nine sites. The initial routes are: