Small Urban and Rural Transit Roundup

• Easter Seals Project ACTION has announced two new free audio conferences for February and March 2011. The first focuses on the importance of partnership in planning for and providing rural and small urban deviated fixed-route and demand response service. The second features a discussion of accessibility elements within livable and sustainable communities. Links for the audio conferences are as follows:

Deviated Fixed Route and Demand Response Service: Creating Solutions in Rural and Small Urban Communities

Planning for the Accessibility of Livable and Sustainable Communities

• The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) launched a social media campaign to generate public opinion about the priorities for the new transportation bill. The public is invited to comment on AASHTO's Facebook and YouTube pages. See the AASHTO press release for more details.

• A recent news story from Minnesota Public Radio identified transportation as topping the list of needs for older rural residents and discussed the role of volunteer driver programs. (Source: MPR)

• Linx, a regional transportation cooperative connecting transportation providers across 27 counties in Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming, is getting of the ground and will be in pilot phase through 2011. (Source: Billings Gazette)

• Researchers at DePaul University have shown that intercity bus transportation is growing faster than intercity rail or air travel. (Sources: The Infrastructurist, The City Fix)