Design and Implementation of Transit Services: Guidelines for smaller communities

Transit plays an essential role in improving the social, economic, and environmental conditions of Canada’s cities and communities. While there is greater political attention to serving transit needs in larger urban areas, transit services are increasingly vital to improving the well-being of small communities. There are unique challenges small and rural Canadian communities face in providing transit services, compared to large, more urban areas. The approaches to planning for transit and the range of solutions appropriate for providing transit is broader for small communities compared to larger urban centres. Recognizing these unique conditions, the purpose of these guidelines is to provide guidance to planning and transportation professionals in planning for transit services in small communities. The guidelines were developed to tailor to a wide range of different stages of a transit service provision in the community: starting a new service; expanding an existing service; maintaining a service in potential decline. Recognizing that unique characteristics (e.g. land uses, travel patterns, demographics, economic conditions) of small towns and villages, these developed guidelines are intended to identify the directions and considerations required to planning and implementing a new or improved transit service.