Del Peterson

An Assessment of Demand for Rural Intercity Transportation Services in a Changing Environment

With higher fuel costs and changing economic conditions, travel behavior and the level and allocation of resources in highways, rail, air, and transit service in rural areas may be changing. The objective of this study is to determine the attitude of would-be passengers in their choice of mode and the factors determining their choice in rural and small urban areas. A stated preference survey was developed and administered to residents of North Dakota and northwest and west central Minnesota. The survey asked respondents to identify their mode of choice in different hypothetical situations in which five modes were available—automobile, air, bus, train, and van—under differing mode and trip characteristics. A multinomial logit model was used to estimate the likelihood that an individual would choose a given mode on the basis of the characteristics of the mode, the characteristics of the individual, and the characteristics of the trip. Results show that travelers, especially those of lower income, respond to higher gasoline prices by choosing alternative modes in greater numbers, suggesting rural intercity bus, van, and rail ridership would increase if gasoline prices rose.

Developing a Method for Assessing National Demand-Response Transit Level of Service

Demand-response transit service is a major source of mobility for older adults and people with disabilities in both urban and rural areas in United States. Federal Transit Administration (FTA) grant programs under sections 5307, 5310, and 5311 all have components designed to increase the availability of paratransit or demand-response transit service. However, there is little information in the National Transit Database (NTD) or elsewhere about the extent of demand-response transit service coverage across the country. The lack of data makes it a challenge to identify gaps in service and unmet needs. The primary objective of this study was to fill the data gaps to the available NTD database to effectively determine the demand-response transit level of service. This study also developed a priority ranking procedure to identify where the greatest needs for service improvements exist in a state.

Improving Veterans’ Mobility in Small Urban and Rural Areas

The need for veterans’ transportation is growing rapidly because of the increasing number of older veterans as well as the many injured servicemen and -women returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. Thirty percent of veterans live in rural areas that often present transportation challenges. Many veterans in rural areas must travel extremely long distances to receive medical care, and veterans living in rural areas are reported to be in poorer health than veterans living in urban areas. The objective of this study was to identify veterans with mobility needs living in rural Minnesota, Montana, and North Dakota and to quantify the cost of feasible transportation options for meeting veterans’ mobility needs. This study included a survey of veterans and a simulation of their health care transportation costs. Online and paper surveys were distributed to veterans throughout Minnesota, Montana, and North Dakota. More than 80% of respondents classified themselves as disabled with nearly three-fourths of these indicating that their veteran disability rating was greater than 30%. The most common disability reported by survey respondents was having a mobility impairment, followed by hearing impairment and mental health issues. When a coordination effort between U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) health care centers and rural public transit agencies was simulated with @Risk risk analysis software, results varied by state and region because of varying operating costs and fare recovery rates. Overall, most simulations indicated that a coordination effort between VA health care centers and rural public transit agencies would be feasible if estimated ridership levels could be attained.