Establishing transit systems in rural communities is inherently challenging because of geographically spread-out populations. At the same time, rural communities often have an increased need for transit relative to their urban counterparts. Rural residents are frequently isolated from food, health care, and employment opportunities; for anyone who cannot own or drive a private vehicle (for reasons of age, disability, or income), this can be a significant problem.
CTS’s thematic focus for 2024—Rural Needs, Statewide Answers: Improving Transportation for All—puts focus on these issues. An April 30 CTS webinar featured two experts who are looking at outside-the-box technology and social media solutions to fill rural transit gaps.
In Wabasha, Minnesota, Fisher and his fellow researchers found a number of Facebook groups that local rural residents use to organize car sharing. One, for example, coordinates carpools to Rochester for Mayo Clinic employees. Another organizes volunteer drivers who transport stray cats and dogs to vet clinics for spaying/neutering.
Volunteer drivers like these, Fisher said, could potentially fill transportation gaps where formalized systems fall short.
As part of their project’s final report, Fisher and his team drafted recommendations for bolstering and incentivizing these informal networks:
- Take advantage of social media and build up local neighborhood networks. The app Nextdoor, for example, is a good resource for fostering neighbor-neighbor relationships, and local community Facebook pages—such as Wabasha helping Wabasha—are good places for keeping track of local needs and volunteer opportunities.
- Encourage and consider incentives for volunteers. Fisher suggests finding some way of offering payment to drivers for their time and gas, or possibly coordinating with local businesses to offer discounts to volunteer drivers.
- Set up a centralized hub to help organize efforts. City websites, for example, are a good place to coordinate online communication, and local nonprofits or libraries might be able to help with logistics and coordination.