City works to save NRoute

VICKSBURG, Miss. (VDN) — At a meeting of the Vicksburg Board of Mayor and Aldermen NRoute‘s future was discussed.

NRoute is facing financial issues related to the cost of operating the service and requested $400,000 from the city for the upcoming budget year. The city had allocated $200,000 in the preliminary budget expected to be adopted on Tuesday, leaving NRoute financially in the hole.

Currently, NRoute has 22 buses in inventory but only regularly uses five of those buses. According to federal regulation all 22 must be insured, and the cost of the insurance is the main financial strain on NRoute.

MDOT representative Roderick Bailey spoke with the Board about what it provides for NRoute and explained how to navigate federal regulations. Included in his advice was how to reduce the number of buses NRoute currently has in inventory. Since those buses were purchased with federal funds, their disposal has to follow a documented procedure.

One of the considerations for the city is transferring management and operations of NRoute to the Claiborne County Human Resources Agency. A representative from the Claiborne County Human Resources Agency was at the meeting and left a proposal to take over the operation of NRoute. That proposal included weekend service and transport for Medicaid patients to appointments in other cities.

Other options before the Board include ending the city’s financial support of the organization or reorganizing the current structure. Mayor Thompson reiterated at the meeting that Vicksburg needs a public transportation service for the citizens. However, it needs to be financially stable.

“These are taxpayer dollars,” said Thompson.

The Mayor said the city will take the proposal from Claiborne County to take over NRoute under advisement. Whichever option the city takes, they will have to decide by October 22, 2026.