Jackson County Mass Transit District

JAX Mass Transit is a provider of mass transportation in Carbondale, Illinois with five routes serving the region. They also operate the Saluki Express. As of 2019, the system provided 93,691 rides over 28,778 annual vehicle revenue hours with 16 buses.^[1] The service provided by JAX in Carbondale is complemented by Rides Mass Transit District and South Central Illinois Mass Transit District.

JAX Mass Transit

Founded	1992
Headquarters	975 Charles Rd
Service area	Jackson County, Illinois
Service type	Bus service, paratransit
Routes	5
Fleet	16 buses
Annual ridership	93,691 (2019)
Website	[JCMTD]

History

Public transit in Jackson County began with horsecars in 1905, with the Murphysboro Street Railway Co. In 1908, the horsecars were replaced with streetcars, which in turn were replaced by buses in 1927.^[2] In 2019, the agency began planning on a new operations and maintenance facility in Carbondale.^[3] As part of a Rebuild Illinois grant, the agency received funding for the new facility in 2023, along with funding to build an operations and administrative office in Murphysboro.^[4] In 2024, the agency took over operations of the Saluki Express service in Carbondale previously operated by the Rides Mass Transit District.^[5]

Service

JAX operates five deviated fixed-route bus services. Three of these routes operate within Carbondale, while two operate between Carbondale and Murphysboro. Riders can board a bus at five locations in Carbondale, five locations in Murphysboro, or schedule a ride from a different location.^[6]

Hours of operation for the system are Monday through Friday from 7:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. and Saturdays from 8:00 A.M. to 12:00 P.M. There is no service on Sundays. Regular fares are $2.00.^[7][8]

Fixed route ridership

The ridership statistics shown here are of the deviated fixed route services operated by JAX.^[9]

10,000

20,000

30,000

40,000

50,000

60,000

70,000

80,000

90,000

100,000

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021

See also

• List of bus transit systems in the United States
• List of intercity bus stops in Illinois
• South Central Illinois Mass Transit District

References

1. "JCMTD Agency Profile" (PDF). Retrieved August 31, 2023.
2. "Transit Systems in Illinois". Retrieved August 31, 2023.
3. "New transportation facility in the works in Jackson County". WSILTV.com. December 18, 2019. Retrieved August 31, 2023.
4. Marilyn Halstead (January 26, 2023). "Jackson County Mass Transit District receives $3.2M in Rebuild Illinois grants". The Southern Illinoisan. Retrieved August 31, 2023.
5. "Saluki Express". Rides Mass Transit. Retrieved 2024-09-13.
6. "Routes". Retrieved August 31, 2023.
7. "Routes". Retrieved August 31, 2023.
8. "Fares and Passes". Retrieved August 31, 2023.
9. "The National Transit Database (NTD)". Retrieved August 31, 2023.

External links

• [JAX Mass Transit]