Foursquare ITP developed a transit service inventory and assessment, inclusive of both fixed-route and demand response services, that covered the 420 counties across 13 states served by the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC). ARC wanted to understand the depth and breadth of available transit in its area of coverage and provide this region with guidance and best practices for improving access to opportunity and basic needs.
The state of rural transit in the Appalachia, as well as best practices and challenges and use of federal funding, was documented through extensive analysis of the policies, programs, and organization of state-level rural transit programs. Using Foursquare ITP’s GTFS to Existing Conditions Tool, the presence and levels of service available for both fixed-route services and demand response was systematically analyzed across more than 100 providers and presented in user-friendly maps and tables.
The findings of this study were presented in a Final Report and Executive Summary as well as in quick-reference fact sheets and are available on ARC’s website. Foursquare ITP assisted the Appalachian Regional Commission with dissemination of the study’s findings through webinars, trainings, and conference presentations.
Solutions and Outcomes
- Transit service inventory and assessment across 420 counties.
- Use of custom tool for large volume of data across 100 transit providers.