Rural Public Transportation: An Instructional Module.

A concept-based introduction to rural public transportation is provided in this instructional module for undergraduate and graduate transportation-related courses for disciplines such as engineering, business, sociology, and technology. Rural public transportation involves systems in rural and small urban areas with populations under 50,000 people. The unique transportation needs of rural areas and problems in designing such a system are considered. Attention is also directed to: the variety of service providers and operators in rural transportation and examples of various provider and operator modal options; organizational structures to meet transportation needs in rural areas; the need-based approach to planning; the process of market segmentation; factors to be considered in the design and implementation of rural public transportation; illustrations of how selected operations have achieved varying degrees of success; and directions for rural public transportation in the future. Appended are a glossary; the names, addresses, and phone numbers of individuals and groups that are part of a rural transit network; and a five-page reference list. (SW)