This status report reports the findings of a nationwide study of transit systems funded under Section 18 of the Federal Transit Act. The year-long project was funded by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) through its Rural Transit Assistance Program (RTAP) and carried out by the Community Transportation Association of America (CTAA). Its principal purposes were: 1) To identify the current population being served by public transit in rural areas, and the characteristics of the services provided; 2) To identify the number and characteristics of local transit agencies providing services in rural areas; and, 3) To assess the unserved needs and populations in rural areas of the United States.

This digest summarizes key findings of research performed under NCHRP Project 20-65, Task 42, Rural Public Transportation Strategies for Responding to the Livable and Sustainable Communities Initiative, by ICF International. For the study, ICF conducted a nationwide survey of state departments of transportation (DOTs) and their rural livability activities; conducted follow-up interviews about grants from the Partnership for Sustainable Communities (PSC); and created a primer highlighting strategies that state DOTs, transit operators, and their partners can use to help rural organizations applying for discretionary grant programs. The strategies discussed in the primer are: (1) Building awareness of PSC resources and livability in rural communities; (2) Providing programmatic and financial support; (3) Creating statewide or regional partnerships; and (4) Encouraging transit coordination at the regional level.

This directory is a comprehensive listing of the 1,162 agencies providing general public transportation in areas with less than 50,000 population under the Federal Transit Administration's (FTA) Section 18 program. The primary purpose of this directory is to assist in identifying and locating individual Section 18 providers.

This report presents results of research conducted under Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP) Project B-21, "Effective Approaches to Meeting Rural Intercity Bus Transportation Needs." The project identified strategies for initiating, preserving, and enhancing effective rural intercity bus transportation. To identify recent projects and to identify barriers or issues affecting implementation, the research effort included surveys of state rural transit program managers, state rail program managers, and intercity bus carriers. The report includes three parts. Part I contains a review of recent developments affecting the intercity bus industry, an overview of potential funding sources, and a review of barriers to implementation of rural intercity projects. Part II provides strategies for rural intercity service improvements, including methods of identifying intercity carriers and services, planning, program development, operating assistance, capital assistance, marketing assistance, and combining approaches. Each strategy is described, and implementation examples are presented. Part III presents 50 project descriptions based on additional survey interviews with project contacts.