Rural Community Transit Strategies

This project seeks to develop innovative sharing-economy strategies to address rural transit challenges in Greater Minnesota. Many transit services and rideshare companies like Uber and Lyft do not provide services to commuters outside of the metro areas, forcing most Greater Minnesota residents to own automobiles. Meanwhile, many communities have school busing systems and substantial vehicle capacity that remain parked and unused much of the day. This project uses a human-centered design approach to engage an under-10,000-population Greater Minnesota community to develop a pilot for rural community transit that can be a model for similar communities across the state. The research will seek to answer the question of whether a shared, mobility services approach to rural transit transportation in Greater Minnesota can meet people's needs at a lower cost, with more convenience, and with greater positive impacts on the local economy than current transit practices and services. Our research will also be informed by the lessons learned from the pandemic’s impact on transit needs and access driven by the changes in online shopping, distance learning, telecommuting, telemedicine, etc. and its effect on living, learning, and working patterns, employment opportunities, and community assets.

    Language

    • English

    Project

    • Status: Active
    • Funding: $173,929.00
    • Contract Numbers:

      1036342 WO#12

    • Sponsor Organizations:

      Minnesota Department of Transportation

      395 John Ireland Boulevard
      St Paul, MN  United States  55155

      Local Road Research Board

      395 John Ireland Boulevard
      St. Paul, Minnesota  United States  55155-1899
    • Principal Investigators:

      Fisher, Thomas

    • Start Date: 20210720
    • Expected Completion Date: 20230228
    • Actual Completion Date: 0

    Subject/Index Terms

    Filing Info

    • Accession Number: 01762357
    • Record Type: Research project
    • Source Agency: Minnesota Department of Transportation
    • Contract Numbers: 1036342 WO#12
    • Files: RIP, STATEDOT
    • Created Date: Jan 20 2021 12:49PM