Staff Presentations from Rural & Intercity Bus Conference Online

The following presentations given by SURTC researchers Jeremy Mattson and Del Peterson at the 20th National Conference for Rural Public & Intercity Bus Transportation are available to view or download on the SURTC website:

• Use of Alternative Fuels and Hybrid Vehicles by Small Urban and Rural Transit Systems
• Transit, Technology, & Public Participation
• Effortless Passenger Identification System

These and other presentations are available in the Staff Presentation section of the SURTC website.

New Study to Research Demand for Intercity Transit Services and Optimal Service Levels

SURTC researcher Jeremy Mattson is launching a new study to estimate demand for intercity transit services in rural areas and determine optimal service levels.

The study will examine how gas prices, fare levels, travel speed, and service frequency influence demand for intercity bus and rail and how demand differs based on individual characteristics such as age and income. The study will also estimate how far travelers are willing to drive to a bus or rail station to use those services. The cost and time associated with traveling to and from transit stations will be factored into the study.

Results from the study of mode choice will be used to estimate intercity bus and rail demand along different corridors. The research will be conducted in North Dakota, but the methodologies developed could be applied to other areas. Different scenarios with different travel times, service frequencies, stop locations, fare levels, and gas prices will be considered, as will the impacts of changing demographics.

Optimal service levels will be identified based on cost of providing service, costs associated with automobile travel, ridership levels, number of new trips that are created, and costs associated with impacts on the environment and traveler safety.

For more details, contact Jeremy Mattson at jeremy.w.mattson@ndsu.edu.

New Project to Study Veteran Mobility in Small Urban and Rural Areas

A new SURTC research project will study the mobility needs of veterans living in rural North Dakota, South Dakota, and Montana and investigate the most feasible transportation options to meet their needs.

The need for veteran transportation is growing rapidly, especially in rural areas where 40 percent of veterans live. Many rural area veterans must travel long distances to receive medical care, and many wounded veterans require assistance to access jobs and engage in other essential activities.

SURTC researcher Del Peterson is the lead investigator for this project. Peterson will be recruiting veterans and transportation providers to participate in surveys and focus group meetings to learn more about veteran mobility services and gaps that exist. Peterson will also quantify the cost of providing different transportation options in relation to meeting the needs of veterans. Results will allow policy makers to make better informed decisions regarding veteran mobility issues in rural and small urban settings.

For more details about the project, contact Del Peterson at del.peterson@ndsu.edu

Research to Investigate Mobility Management and Transportation Coordination Programs

A new SURTC study will investigate the impacts of mobility management and coordination programs. To improve the cost effectiveness and quality of human service transportation programs, efforts have been made at the federal, state, and local levels to implement coordination and mobility management programs. These include coordinated transportation planning processes, mobility management coordination practices, one call/one click transportation management centers, and state leadership activities. This research will evaluate the effectiveness of these programs through the perspective of end users and other stakeholders.

A series of surveys will be conducted across the country of human service transportation users, transit providers, human service agencies, and others. The effectiveness of these programs will ultimately be evaluated based on the economic and quality of life impacts they have on their users.

The research will attempt to determine the impacts of mobility management and coordination programs in meeting the goals of efficiency, ease of access, and quality of service in the places studied, and it will assess the effectiveness of these programs in meeting the needs of transportation-disadvantaged populations. It will also provide a model that any community could use to assess the effectiveness of their programs.

SURTC is collaborating on this project with researchers from the University of South Florida and the University of Illinois, Chicago. SURTC researcher Jeremy Mattson is the lead investigator for the project. For more information, contact Jeremy Mattson at jeremy.w.mattson@ndsu.edu.

Report Published: North Dakota State University Student Transit Survey, 2010-2011

A new report published by SURTC details the findings from surveys conducted of North Dakota State University (NDSU) students during the fall and spring semesters of 2010-2011. Students were surveyed regarding their travel behavior and experience with Metro Area Transit (MATBUS).

An onboard survey of MATBUS riders on two NDSU campus routes was conducted in late 2010, and an online survey of NDSU students was conducted in the spring of 2011. The onboard survey was conducted both by paper and with the use of smartphones. Responses were received from 120 individuals, mostly NDSU students, for the onboard survey, while the online survey received 858 responses, including responses from both transit users and non-users.

The surveys collected information on student access to vehicles, transportation modes used to travel to campus, factors influencing mode choice, use of transit services, opinions on MATBUS service, thoughts on how to improve service, opinions on marketing efforts and preferred methods of accessing information, interest in wireless Internet access onboard, willingness to pay for transit services, and issues concerning parking.

The publication can be downloaded at the following link: North Dakota State University Student Transit Survey, 2010-2011. Questions related to the research should be directed to Jeremy Mattson (jeremy.w.mattson@ndsu.edu).

Report Published: Organizing Transit in Small Urban and Rural Communities

A new SURTC study conducted by David Ripplinger provides information and a decision-making framework for designing and administering rural transit policies given limited public resources. Using data from transit agencies in rural North Dakota, Ripplinger estimated the benefits of different service alternatives, evaluated the justification of government subsidy of rural transit on the basis of its cost structure, and investigated the most efficient regional organization of transit.

The study investigated whether it would be more cost efficient for a single existing agency to expand service and provide both fixed-route and demand-response service or if it would be more efficient to have multiple operators in an area providing service. If service is to be increased within the service area of an existing transit agency, the study found it is more efficient for the existing agency to provide that service than to create a new agency to do so. If new service is to be added outside the service area of an existing agency, the more efficient option is influenced by the size of the existing agency. It was found to be more efficient for small transit operators to increase service into a new area than for a second agency to do so, but for larger regional systems, the study found it may be more efficient for a second agency to provide the new service. The study also found it is more efficient for small transit systems to provide both fixed-route and demand-response service than to have two different agencies specializing in each. However, for larger regional systems, the results differ, and it may be more efficient to have providers specialize in one mode. In many cases, a single transit agency operating as a monopoly was found to provide service at a lower cost than two transit agencies would, but this was not always the case.

The findings and implications are directly applicable to rural transit in North Dakota and should be helpful in informing future federal policy as well as rural transit policy, service design, and operation in other states.

The publication can be downloaded at the following link: Organizing Transit in Small Urban and Rural Communities. The study was sponsored by the University Transportation Centers Program of the U.S. Department of Transportation. Questions related to the research should be directed to David Ripplinger, who can be reached at david.ripplinger@ndsu.edu

Presentation on NHTS Travel Behavior for Older Adults and People with Disabilities

A recent presentation by SURTC researcher Jeremy Mattson is available online. Mattson presented findings from a study on travel behavior and mobility of transportation-disadvantaged populations, specifically older adults and people with disabilities. The research was presented at the International Conference on Aging, Mobility and Quality of Life, hosted by the University of Michigan and Elsevier, June 24 – June 26. The study examined 2009 National Household Travel Survey (NHTS) data on driving, trip frequency, staying in the same place all day or week, miles driven per year, mode choice, use of public transportation, trip purpose, trip distance, and issues and concerns regarding transportation. Differences between 2001 and 2009 were documented to identify trends in travel behavior.

A full report based on this research will be available this Fall. The presentation can be viewed at the following link: Travel Behavior and Mobility of Older Adults: Evidence from the National Household Travel Survey.

2012 Rural Transit Fact Book Published

SURTC has published its 2012 Rural Transit Fact Book. This publication is intended to serve as a national resource for statistics and information on rural transit in America. Information on transit service availability and cost is necessary to efficiently and effectively meet rural community mobility needs. Financial and operating statistics can be used by agency managers, local decision makers, state directors, the Federal Transit Administration (FTA), and lawmakers to assist in policy making, planning, managing operations, and evaluating performance.

This publication is an update to the Fact Book published in 2011. It includes rural demographic and travel behavior data as well as financial, operating, and fleet statistics and performance measures for agencies receiving section 5311 funding. In addition to national level data, statistics are presented by state, FTA region, tribe, and mode, as well as other agency characteristics.

The Rural Transit Fact Book uses agency level data from the Rural National Transit Database (NTD) and rural demographic and travel data from the American Community Survey and the National Household Travel Survey.

The publication can be downloaded from the SURTC website. For more information, contact Jeremy Mattson (jeremy.w.mattson@ndsu.edu).

2012 SURTC Research Digest Published

The 2012 edition of the SURTC Research Digest has been published and is available online. The SURTC Research Digest provides a number of articles discussing recently completed research projects. The articles are highly condensed, non-technical versions of the full studies, but they provide more depth and detail than what is published in our newsletter. This edition of the SURTC Research Digest includes articles on five research projects completed in 2011. Topics covered include tribal transit funding, the cost structure of small urban transit and justifications for subsidies, impacts of the built environment on transit ridership, segmenting intercity travelers by their attitudes, and vehicle supplier attributes valued by procurement decision-makers.The intent of this publication is to make our research findings accessible to a wider audience. The publication can be downloaded from the SURTC website at the following link: 2012 SURTC Research Digest (pdf).

Report Published: Use of Alternative Fuels and Hybrid Vehicles by Small Urban and Rural Transit Systems

A new report published by SURTC studies the use of alternative fuels and hybrid vehicles by transit systems in small urban and rural areas. Transit agencies of all sizes across the country have been or are considering using alternative fuels or hybrid-electric vehicles. Smaller agencies may face greater difficulties in transitioning to alternative fuels or hybrids due to infrastructure costs, reliability and maintenance issues, or other concerns.

To better understand the problems and benefits with using biodiesel, E85, propane, natural gas, and hybrid vehicles in smaller communities, a survey of 115 small urban and rural transit agencies was conducted. This study described the use of alternative fuels and hybrids by these transit providers; identified motivating factors and deterrents for adoption; described the experience of transit agencies that have adopted these alternatives, including costs, fuel economy, maintenance, reliability, and overall satisfaction; and examined differences between those agencies that use these alternatives and those that do not, as well as difference between rural and small urban areas.

Larger agencies and those operating in urban areas tend to be more likely to adopt alternatives than smaller, rural providers. Improving public perception, reducing emissions, and reducing operating costs tend to be the greatest motivating factors for adoption, while concerns about infrastructure and vehicle costs, maintenance, and fuel supply are the greatest deterrents. Those agencies that have adopted alternative fuels or hybrids have been mostly satisfied, but some problems were identified. Findings provide useful information to policy makers as well as transit operators considering adoption of alternative fuels and hybrids.

For more information, contact Jeremy Mattson at jeremy.w.mattson@ndsu.edu. The publication can be downloaded at the following link: Use of Alternative Fuels and Hybrid Vehicles by Small Urban and Rural Transit Systems