An Analysis of Demand Response Transit (DRT) Travel of the Elderly, Women and the Disabled in Rural Areas: Implications for Future DRT Systems for All

Demand Response Transit (DRT) services play a crucial part in supporting rural transportation, especially for individuals without private vehicle access. However, the exploration of DRT travel patterns, particularly the differences tied to demographics such as gender, age, and disability remains an underdeveloped area of research. The proposed study begins to fill this gap by analyzing real-world DRT trip data from rural Tennessee. In DRT trip reservation systems, various trip characteristics - such as trip pick-up time, drop-off time, trip distance, and trip purpose - are typically recorded, and some of these systems also collect a small number of demographic variables. For the initial study area in this proposal, the attributes of age, gender and disability status will be considered. The proposed analysis will focus on the differences in DRT travel patterns across gender, age and disability status, and their intersection, within the rural American context. The proposed analysis will include cross-tabulation statistics by demographic group and cluster analysis to identify different DRT trip patterns. This study is particularly pertinent given the characteristics of rural communities, such as widespread destinations, limited transit alternatives, and an aging demographic, which underscore the important role of DRT in rural communities throughout the United States.

• Record URL:
  • https://www.cr2c2.com/research/major-research-initiatives/mri-3/project-r3-3
• Supplemental Notes:
  • Project R3-3.

Language

• English

Project

• Status: Active
• Funding: $150928
• Contract Numbers:

  69A3552348304

• Sponsor Organizations:

  Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology

  University Transportation Centers Program
  Department of Transportation
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Managing Organizations:

  Center for Regional and Rural Connected Communities

  North Carolina A&T State University
  Greensboro, NC  United States  27411
• Project Managers:

  Brakewood, Candace

• Performing Organizations:

  University of Tennessee, Knoxville

  Knoxville, TN  United States 
• Principal Investigators:

  Brakewood, Candace

  Cronley, Courtney

  Cherry, Christopher

• Start Date: 20240115
• Expected Completion Date: 20250714
• Actual Completion Date: 0
• USDOT Program: University Transportation Centers

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Data analysis; Demand responsive transportation; Paratransit services; Rural areas
• Subject Areas: Data and Information Technology; Public Transportation; Society;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01920241
• Record Type: Research project
• Source Agency: Center for Regional and Rural Connected Communities
• Contract Numbers: 69A3552348304
• Files: UTC, RIP
• Created Date: May 30 2024 5:52PM