During the 2016 National Regional Transportation Conference, Chris Zeilinger, Community Transportation Association of America, gave this presentation on making today's transit service relevant to communities and making the case for transit.

1. TODAY’S CHALLENGES & RESPONSES
IN RURAL TRANSIT
National Regional Transportation Conference
Chattanooga, Tennessee
Monday June 13, 2016
Chris Zeilinger
Assistant Director
Community Transportation Association of America
Washington DC

2. • Some form of transit is present in more
areas of rural America than ever
before.
• Federal funding for rural transit
operations has not grown appreciably
in years
• Federal funding for rural transit capital
is just recovering from an all-time low
• Travel patterns and transit demand in
rural America are changing
• Rural America itself is changing
The Current Reality

3. Existentialism
“Existence precedes and rules
essence.” (Sartre) In many
places, we have many years’
existence of rural transit. Now we
often face a need to find a new
explanation, a new raison d’être,
for having these systems.
The Philosophical Foundation of Rural
Transit
Traditional arguments for rural transit:
• Mobility for people with disabilities
• Mobility for older people who no longer drive
• Access to medical care for low-income families
• Access to jobs and services for zero-car and below-
poverty households
But these traditional arguments face challenges….

4. Today, transit has to make economic sense.
For example:
• Improved economic productivity through reduced
congestion
• Improved productivity through increased labor force
participation
• The attraction of new or expanding businesses
• Sustaining the local tax base
• Preserving local quality of life
• Improved health outcomes or social indicators
The Challenge of Relevance

5. While launching a service can be challenging,
continuing the service is an even greater
challenge.
• How will the ongoing costs of operating a transit service
be met?
• How will the costs of maintaining transit-related assets be
addressed?
• What happens when current assets reach the ends of
their useful lives?
• How will today’s transit service adapt to upcoming
changes in the community, such as changing travel
patterns, changing regional economy, changes to the
regional infrastructure, or changing demographics?
The Challenge of Sustainability

6. The Challenge of Community Support
How does your community express the value it
holds for transit?
• Sincere support by local politicians and other leaders
• Awareness and support from the public in your community
• Financial support: reliable allocations of local government
revenues, dedicated local taxes, etc.

7. The Challenge of Measurable Results
It’s important to measure ridership, performance
statistics, etc., but what are the actual outcomes that
arise from a transit service? For example…..
• The use of transit to get to and from jobs (and what
happens to these jobs in the absence of transit)
• The value of goods and services purchased by transit
users (looking at at-risk users, commuters, households
able to downsize personal vehicle ownership)
• Spending by individuals who would leave the community
in the absence of transit
• Improved health, education, or social service outcomes
made possible through the availability of transit

8. A Quick Tour of Responses to Rural
Transit Challenges
• Delmarva
Community
Services,
Cambridge MD
• Northeast Iowa
Community
Action’s “EARL
Public Transit,”
Decorah IA
• RYDE, Kearney NE
• Lakes Region
Explorer, Portland
ME

9. How Will You Respond to Challenges?
• Performance-based transportation plans
• Planning and programming in specific funding streams
(e.g., FTA Section 5310, Transportation Alternatives)
• Inclusion of transportation in other planning activities
(e.g., workforce development, aging services, housing &
community development)
• Stakeholder engagement

10. Chris Zeilinger
Assistant Director
Community Transportation Association of America
202-250-4108
zeilinger@ctaa.org
Questions? Following Up?