Demand Responsive Transportation in Rural Areas: Rider and Non-Rider Opinions

Public transportation in rural areas has been in existence for decades. Ridership levels however are quite low, often because many of the providers are still perceived as only for the elderly or disabled. Ridership is a factor of many things including age, disability, income, car ownership, and other. Other intangible factors include quality of service, personal opinions, and issues and concerns about using public transportation. This paper primarily discusses the personal opinions of the riders and non-riders that may account for the lower ridership levels in rural Kansas. In order to acquire the information about the characteristics and opinions of riders and non-riders of public transportation two similar surveys were sent out with 445 rider and 557 non-rider surveys returned. The questions are either the exact same, or as close as possible in order to compare the answers and opinions of the riders and non-riders. Findings of these two surveys can then be used to suggest transit service enhancements to increase the ridership of demand-response transportation. Riders of demand-response transit systems in rural Kansas are pleased with the service provided as a whole. The majority of the riders fell between being content with the service to being ecstatic with the service provided. Non-riders are ambivalent toward demand-response transit service. They appreciate the fact that in many cases general public transportation services exist, but they are also generally unwilling to use it themselves. They appreciate the fact that in many cases general public transportation services exist, but they are also generally unwilling to use it themselves.