Benefits for Metropolitan America and Small Urban and Rural Areas

The broad-based benefits of public transportation are most obvious in metropolitan America. However, public transportation is equally important to the nation’s small urban communities and rural areas. In the last three years, funding for small urban and rural public transportation systems in all 50 states has nearly doubled and ridership has jumped 15%.

Preserving small urban and rural communities

Small urban communities throughout the country are symbols of fundamental American values — a hard-work ethic, self-reliance, mutual support, creativity, innovation — as well as emerging focal points for today’s economy. In light of the fact that nearly 10% of all households in small urban areas are without a car, the freedom, mobility and access that public transportation services provide in these settings are key ingredients in sustaining their character.

• In Des Moines, IA, the MTA’s downtown loop shuttle and an 1,800-space park-and-ride lot have increased mobility, reduced congestion and enhanced access to the downtown area.
• The Huntington, WV, downtown Intermodal Transportation Facility combines access to local and interstate buses, taxis, bicycles and private cars.
• In South Carolina, the 43 member agencies of the Chesterfield County Coordinating Council share vehicles on fixed-route and dial-a-ride services and allow adults to ride school buses.
• In Lebanon, NH, 65% of the riders on Advance Transit services are commuters going to work.

Providing access for rural areas

Public transportation is equally important to America’s rural heartland, where 40% of residents have no access to public transportation services and another 28% have negligible access. Transportation service is vital for rural America’s 30 million non-drivers, who include senior citizens, low-income families, and people with disabilities.

• In rural Illinois, RIDES coordinates transportation needs for clients of 80 agencies to meet job, service and training needs.
• The Sweetwater Transit Authority in Wyoming helps 44,000 residents in a 10,000-square-mile service area reach work sites.
• In the Robertsdale, AL, region, the Baldwin Rural Area Transit System (BRATS) provides more than 400,000 trips per year.