Research Report – The Impact of Oil Boom and Bust Cycles on Western North Dakota
A new study published by SURTC examines the impacts of the boom and bust cycles on transit ridership and community livability in western North Dakota by calculating transit livability index measures. These measures were calculated based on six core livability principles. A major finding of this research shows that although the recent oil bust has caused considerable concern in western North Dakota, the population and transit ridership are considerably larger today than they were in 2008. The study also develops a system dynamics model to show the potential impacts from increasing transit’s mode share.
The full report and executive summary can be found at the link below:
The Impact of Oil Boom and Bust Cycles on Western North Dakota
For more details, contact Del Peterson at Del.Peterson@ndsu.edu.
New Research Project: Measuring the Economic Benefits of Rural and Small Urban Transit Service in Greater Minnesota
SURTC is starting a new project for the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) that will measure the benefits of rural and small urban transit service throughout Minnesota. The scope of the project includes all public transportation agencies outside of the Twin Cities metro area. The study team will develop a framework and tool that can be used by transit agencies and planners for identifying and measuring the benefits of transit services. A series of case studies will be conducted across the state to measure the benefits of specific transit services. The project, which is scheduled to be completed by April 2020, will produce a detailed report as well as educational material that can be used by transit agencies, planners, and stakeholders. This research will provide the necessary information to objectively assess the benefits of public spending on rural and small urban transit services, which would give decision-makers the data needed to allocate resources to programs that would provide the greatest benefit. The research will provide information to local leaders and MnDOT about the benefits of transit in Greater Minnesota. For more information, contact Jeremy Mattson at jeremy.w.mattson@ndsu.edu.
Mistry Joins SURTC Staff
Dilip Mistry has joined the Small Urban and Rural Transit Center as a postdoctoral research fellow. He has more than 10 years of work experiences in the field of Data Science, working as a GIS Data Analyst, Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Consultant, and Oracle Business Intelligence Consultant. He will receive his Ph.D. in Transportation and Logistics from NDSU in August. For the last 8 years, while pursuing Ph.D., he was also working full time at HERE Technologies as Data Scientist/Data Analyst. He holds a Master of Science degree in Computer Science from North Dakota State University and a Bachelor of Science degree in Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering from Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET). In 2018, he was named the Region VIII Mountain-Plains Consortium Student of the Year. View his full bio.
TRANSIT I Training to be Offered in Oregon – Registration Available
SURTC will be conducting training for TRANSIT I – The Foundations in Oregon in July. Any interested participant can open enroll. There are two opportunities to attend this course: Salem, OR, July 23-24, 2018, and Warm Springs, OR, July 25-26, 2018.
Description: This course is intended to provide new transit managers with a base of information and resources to assist in navigating through the maze of transit management responsibilities. For those who have managed programs for a number of years, it provides exposure to key elements of management and transit program assessment that previously you may not have taken the time to address or implement. This course is broken into individual modules which cover: Introductory Human Resources; Vehicle and Facility Maintenance Programs; Safety and Risk Management; General Administration for Transit Agencies; Financial Management and Introduction to the Federal Transit Administration.
Lunch will be provided.
Option #1 Location:
Salem, Oregon (ODOT Region 2 Campus, 885 Airport Rd SE, Building X)
July 23-24, 2018 (Mon-Tues)
8:00 am – 5:00 pm
Option #2 Location:
Warm Springs, Oregon (Kah-Nee-Ta Resort, 6823 Highway 8)
July 25-26, 2018 (Wed-Thur)
8:00am – 5:00pm
Cost: $295/participant
More information can be found here: TRANSIT I Course Details – Oregon, July 2018
Registration Closed on June 25, 2018
SURTC to Study Opportunities for Shared-Use Mobility Practices in Rural Areas
A new research project funded by the National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) will study opportunities for shared-used mobility practices in rural areas. Shared-use mobility refers to transportation services that are shared among users. This includes public transit and taxis, as well as emerging services such as bike-sharing, car-sharing, ride-sharing (carpooling, vanpooling), ride-sourcing (Uber, Lyft, etc.), shuttle services, and others. The research project, which is titled "Opportunities for State DOTs (and others) to Encourage Shared Use Mobility Practices in Rural Areas," will document emerging practices, study the applicability to rural areas, develop a best practices tool-kit, and provide guidance on the role that government, state DOTs, rural transit agencies, transportation planning agencies, and others will need to play to advance shared-use mobility practices in rural areas. SURTC is leading the project, in cooperation with WSP. For more details, contact Ranjit Godavarthy at ranjit.godavarthy@ndsu.edu.
Upcoming Course: Systems Engineering for Technology Projects
The National Transit Institute is conducting a two-day course titled "Systems Engineering for Technology Projects," April 25-26, 2018, in St. Paul, Minnesota. Mohammad Smadi from the Upper Great Plains Transportation Institute will be instructor. This course will discuss systems engineering, a structured development process for implementing technology systems. It is an introductory level course geared for people with little or no experience with systems engineering but who are involved or will be involved with a technology project. The target audience is transit professionals involved with planning, writing requirements, and implementing technology projects but don't have experience with systems engineering. This course is geared towards medium to large transit agencies. Click below for more details or to register:
- Systems Engineering for Technology Projects – April 25-26, St. Paul, MN
- Informational Flyer – Systems Engineering for Technology Projects (pdf)
Mistry is MPC Student of the Year
Dilip Mistry, a doctoral student in Transportation & Logistics within the College of Business at NDSU was named the Region VIII Mountain-Plains Consortium Student of the Year, Jan. 6 in Washington, D.C. Each year, the U.S. Department of Transportation honors an outstanding student for achievement and potential future contributions to the transportation field. Students are selected based on their accomplishments, academic merit, research and leadership. The award was made at the Council of University Transportation Centers meeting held in conjunction with the annual meeting of the Transportation Research Board.
In 2017, in work with the Upper Great Plains Transportation Institute's Small Urban and Rural Transit Center, Mistry developed a predictive model to assess issues related to keeping the transportation system in a state of good repair. The work will help transit agencies predict when transit assets need to be rehabilitated and replaced, and make decisions on investments and priorities to maintain state-of-good-repair needs.
See the news article on the UGPTI website for more information about Mistry's accomplishments and the Student of the Year Award.
2017 Rural Transit Fact Book Published
SURTC has published its 2017 edition of the Rural Transit Fact Book. This publication is intended to serve as a national resource for statistics and information on rural transit in America. The Fact Book 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 2017 edition is an expanded version that includes a section on county-level demographic information, presenting county-level population data for older adults, people with disabilities, and those living below the poverty line. This edition also provides more detailed information on the geographic coverage of rural transit services across the country.
The Rural Transit Fact Book presents 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 at the SURTC website. For more information, or if you're interested in receiving a hard copy, contact Jeremy Mattson (jeremy.w.mattson@ndsu.edu).
Send Us Your Transit Pictures
SURTC is looking for rural or small urban transit pictures to use in our upcoming publications. We would greatly appreciate it if any transit providers have pictures they would be willing to share and allow us to use in publications such as the Rural Transit Fact Book. We will give proper credit for any pictures that we use. If you have any pictures that you can share, please send them to Jeremy Mattson (jeremy.w.mattson@ndsu.edu).
Research Report – Aging in Place in Small Urban and Rural Communities
A new study published by SURTC investigated the current state of aging in place in small urban and rural settings throughout the country and quantified the costs for residents to live at home and ride public transportation versus moving to an assisted living facility. Overall, simulation results showed that the cost of assisted living was almost always higher compared to other alternatives. Homeowners without mortgages had the lowest costs followed by apartment dwellers and homeowners with mortgages. Policy makers should consider the potential cost savings from aging in place found in this study. Seniors and their families can potentially save thousands of dollars annually by remaining at home and utilizing home health and public transportation services.
The full report and executive summary can be found at the link below:
Aging in Place in Small Urban and Rural Communities
For more details, contact Del Peterson at Del.Peterson@ndsu.edu.