Portal:Non-Urban Transit
Introduction
For people who do not drive, transit is a way of maintaining a high quality of life in rural areas—providing access to jobs, healthcare, education, shopping and numerous other activities utilizing public transportation.[1] Since 1979, FTA has provided formula funding to states, under the Section 5311 Non-urbanized Transit Program, to establish and maintain transit systems in communities with populations under 50,000.[2] This portal provides information on connecting people in rural and small urban communities with transit service.
Selected Article
Mobility Management
Mobility Management is the professional practice of connecting individuals with transportation resources. Clients of mobility managers are typically people with disabilities who are unable to drive but still need access to employment, medical services, and other community services. Mobility management also involves ensuring service providers offer transportation services that meet client needs. Providing Cost-effective ADA service, for example, is one of the challenges faced by rural providers. ADA service brings high costs per passenger mile, especially in areas where long distances are traveled, but few passengers are transported. Mobility managers work with rural transit agencies to determine whether more cost effective alternatives are available.
RTAP Programs
The RTAP (Rural Transit Assistance Program) center promotes the safe and effective delivery of transit service in rural areas. RTAP provides technical assistance to transit providers on best practices, provides training, and conducts research.
Tribal Transit
Most tribal lands are located in predominantly rural areas with low population density. Providing Tribal Transit service presents a host of unique challenges.
Other
Asset management is a core concern for smaller, non-urban transit agencies, especially since their fleets may have limited ability to absorb capacity disruptions due to smaller fleet sizes.