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.[3] In 1992, the Jackson County Board founded what would become the Jackson County Mass Transit District for the sake of providing public transportation across the county.[4] In 2002, JCMTD had finally began its first rides.[5] In 2019, the agency began planning on a new operations and maintenance facility in Carbondale.[6] 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.[7] In 2024, JCMTD took over operations of the Saluki Express service in Carbondale previously operated by the Rides Mass Transit District.[8] This also saw the creation of 4 new fixed-routes based off the old Saluki Express Routes.[9] In October of the same year, the agency announced it would be changing its name from Jackson County Mass Transit District to JAX Mass Transit.[10] In November, they introduced a new app to assist passengers with fixed route schedules and bus tracking as well as the Big Muddy Route which provides Carbondale access to Murphysboro.[11]
A typical JAX bus stop on the campus of Southern Illinois University Carbondale
Service
JAX operates five deviated fixed-route bus services, four of which are Saluki Express routes. Three of these routes operate within Carbondale, while two operate between Carbondale and Murphysboro. Riders can board a bus at multiple locations in Carbondale, five locations in Murphysboro, or schedule a ride from a different location.[12] JAX also provides a seasonal service called the Southern Illinois Access Route (SOAR) which operates from June to September. SOAR serves as a scenic route that takes riders to some of the more nature-oriented parts of Jackson County. Riders can be picked up at Evergreen Terrace, the SIU Recreation Center, or the Southern Illinois Multimodal Stations (SIMMS). SOAR features stops at the Touch of Nature Outdoor Education Center, Giant City State Park, the Makanda Boardwalk, and Cedar Lake.[13]
Other services provided by JAX includes various microtransit services such as the Saluki Night Shuttle which provides after hours on-demand transportation from 7:00P.M. to 12:00A.M. everyday. JAX also provides paratransit services for Carbondale everyday 7:00A.M to 7:30P.M. and Murphysboro weekdays 7:00A.M. to 5:00P.M. for any eligible riders. The paratransit service mirrors the regular fixed routes provided by JAX. JAX also has rural routes to help provide inter-city access to people outside of Carbondale and Murphysboro. Stops for rural routes can be found in Ava, Campbell Hill, Dowell, De Soto, Elkville, Grand Tower, Gorham, Makanda, and Vergennes.[14]
Hours of regular operation for the system are Monday through Friday from 7:00 A.M. to 7:30P.M. and Weekends from 7:00 A.M. to 7:30 P.M. depending on the route. Regular fares are $2.00.[15][16]
Fixed Routes
DISCLAIMER: All routes are subject to temporary or permanent modification at the discretion of JAX and may be inaccurately represented on their maps or the following Wikipedia route tables.
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