Rural Transit ITS Best Practices

The overall objective of this Best Practices in Rural Transit ITS project was to identify operational best practices and related technology for applying ITS to rural transit. The project team assembled information gathered through case studies to produce the Best Practices recommendations. On-site case studies were performed at the following rural transit agencies: 1) The Capital Area Rural Transportation System (CARTS) in Austin, TX; 2) St. Johns County Marion County, and Putnam County, FL [part of the statewide ITS demonstration project being conducted by the Florida Commission for the Transportation Disadvantaged (CTD)]; 3) The Public Transportation Programs Bureau (PTPB), a division of the New Mexico State Highway and Transportation Department. The application in New Mexico is being developed by the Alliance for Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) at the University of New Mexico; 4) Ottumwa Transit Authority (OTA) in Ottumwa, IA; and 5) River Valley Transit in Williamsport, PA. The on- site visits consisted of conducting interviews with staff from different levels of the agency, including operations, management, and maintenance staff. The ITS technologies were then catalogued and the case study results were synthesized into a number of considerations. Considerations were developed in the following areas: (1) use of ITS at rural transit agencies, (2) institutional and organizational issues, (3) ITS applications and technology, (4) funding and other financial considerations, (5) rural ITS project benefits, and (6) deployment process. These recommendations are presented as guidance for other agencies considering the implementation of Rural ITS solutions