Foursquare ITP researched and documented the current state of practice of rural microtransit, identifying key findings and lessons learned. This information is highly informative and useful for practitioners considering rural microtransit. Practitioners all around the country and beyond are interested in exploring whether microtransit can work in a rural setting. There are examples of rural service serving as a success story or model for others, as well as cautionary tales from agencies who have implemented microtransit and not seen the results they hoped for, and relatively little research had been done on what makes microtransit successful in a truly rural setting.
Our team resolved from the outset to focus on examples of truly rural service, non-urbanized areas and agencies operating microtransit across larger service areas. Following a literature review and survey of providers of rural microtransit service, we conducted in-depth interviews of seven agencies to understand the context in which they operate, their experiences implementing microtransit, and advice they would have for other practitioners.
The report (publication pending) identifies noteworthy findings from the study and interviews, covering a diverse set of agencies and contexts. We were able to find some truly trends that emerged across agencies and contexts, as well as ways in which the successful tactics varied significantly, and lessons learned that can help practitioners considering implementing new rural microtransit service.
Solutions and Outcomes
- Identification of the current state of the practice in rural microtransit, including lessons learned and innovative practices.