You Can’t Get There from Here: Issues in Rural Passenger Transportation

This chapter provided a broad survey of rural passenger transportation. It describes how this is a time of major transition for these systems. In part, this is precipitated by changes in rural America itself. Rural America is becoming more diverse in its socioeconomic make-up. In the past two decades, some rural communities have thrived, while others have been left behind as globalization and technology have altered the economic landscape. Furthermore, the policy environment has also shifted. The major factors include increased federal funding, devolution of many responsibilities to state governments, and the deregulation of air, rail, trucking and inter-bus. The chapter describes how rural transportation system is not a unified, centralized system. Instead, it has a mix of funding agencies and modes of travel. In recent years, the quality of roads and bridges in rural America has generally improved. However, many less-affluent individuals without access to cars find their alternatives, such as inter-city bus and public transit, unavailable or inconsistent in service. Meeting the mobility needs of an increasingly diverse and scattered population is a great challenge.