Public Transit and Ride Sharing for Rural, Tribal, and Frontier Agencies: A Guide (2026)
Chapter: Front Matter
TRANSPORTATION RESEARCH BOARD 2026 EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE*
OFFICERS
Chair: Joel M. Jundt, Secretary of Transportation, South Dakota Department of Transportation, Pierre
Vice Chair: Randell Iwasaki, President and CEO, Iwasaki Consulting Services, Walnut Creek, CA
Executive Director: Ann M. Brach, Transportation Research Board, Washington, DC
MEMBERS
James F. Albaugh, President and CEO, The Boeing Company (retired), Scottsdale, AZ
Marsha Anderson Bomar, Strategic Transportation Advisor, GHD, Duluth, GA
Nancy Daubenberger, Commissioner of Transportation, Minnesota Department of Transportation, St. Paul
Garrett Eucalitto, Commissioner, Connecticut Department of Transportation, Newington
Andrew Fremier, Executive Director, Metropolitan Transportation Commission, San Francisco, CA
Martha Grabowski, Distinguished Senior Research Scientist, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY
Edward Hassinger, Director, Missouri Department of Transportation, Jefferson City
Shante Hastings, Cabinet Secretary, Delaware Department of Transportation, Dover
Carol A. Lewis, Professor, Transportation Studies, Texas Southern University, Houston
Ricardo Martinez, Adjunct Professor of Emergency Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, Decatur, GA
Russell McMurry, Commissioner, Georgia Department of Transportation, Atlanta
Craig E. Philip, Research Professor and Director, VECTOR, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN
Leslie S. Richards, Professor of Practice, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia
Tracy Larkin Thomason, Director, Nevada Department of Transportation, Carson City
Marc Williams, Executive Director, Texas Department of Transportation, Austin
EX OFFICIO MEMBERS
Derek Barrs, Administrator, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, Washington, DC
Steven G. Bradbury, Deputy Secretary, U.S. Department of Transportation, Washington, DC
Stephen Carmel, Administrator, U.S. Maritime Administration, Washington, DC
Tara Cavalline, Professor, University of North Carolina, Charlotte, and Chair, TRB Technical Activities Council
David Fink, Administrator, Federal Railroad Administration, Washington, DC
Firas Ibrahim, Director, Office of Research, Development, and Technology, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology, Washington, DC
Jason Kelly, Deputy Commanding General for Civil Works and Emergency Operations, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Washington, DC
Sandra Knight, President, WaterWonks, LLC, Washington, DC, and Chair, TRB Marine Board
Sean McMaster, Administrator, Federal Highway Administration, Washington, DC
Jonathan Morrison, Administrator, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Washington, DC
Seval Oz, Senior Advisor, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology, Washington, DC
Niloo Parvinashtiani, Engineer, Mobility Consultant Solutions, Iteris Inc., Fairfax, VA, and Chair, TRB Young Participants Council
Jamie Pfister, Administrator, Federal Transit Administration, Washington, DC
Paul Roberti, Administrator, Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, Washington, DC
Paul P. Skoutelas, President and CEO, American Public Transportation Association, Washington, DC
Jim Tymon, Executive Director, American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, Washington, DC
______________________
* Membership as of May 2026.
NATIONAL COOPERATIVE HIGHWAY RESEARCH PROGRAM
NCHRP RESEARCH REPORT 1171
Public Transit and Ride Sharing for Rural, Tribal, and Frontier Agencies
A GUIDE
Todd Hansen
Zachary Elgart
Matthew Miller
Dilip Mistry
Chris Simek
Ipek N. Sener
Michael J. Walk
Texas A&M Transportation Institute
College Station, TX
Carol Schweiger
Schweiger Consulting
Wakefield, MA
Subscriber Categories
Public Transportation • Passenger Transportation • Planning and Forecasting
Research sponsored by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials in cooperation with the Federal Highway Administration
2026
NATIONAL COOPERATIVE HIGHWAY RESEARCH PROGRAM
Systematic, well-designed, and implementable research is the most effective way to solve many problems facing state department of transportation (DOT) administrators and engineers. Often, highway problems are of local or regional interest and can best be studied by state DOTs individually or in cooperation with their state universities and others. However, the accelerating growth of highway transportation results in increasingly complex problems of wide interest to highway authorities. These problems are best studied through a coordinated program of cooperative research.
Recognizing this need, the leadership of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) in 1962 initiated an objective national highway research program using modern scientific techniques—the National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP). NCHRP is supported on a continuing basis by funds from participating member states of AASHTO and receives the full cooperation and support of the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), United States Department of Transportation.
The Transportation Research Board (TRB) of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine was requested by AASHTO to administer the research program because of TRBʼs recognized objectivity and understanding of modern research practices. TRB is uniquely suited for this purpose for many reasons: TRB maintains an extensive committee structure from which authorities on any highway transportation subject may be drawn; TRB possesses avenues of communications and cooperation with federal, state, and local governmental agencies, universities, and industry; TRBʼs relationship to the National Academies is an insurance of objectivity; and TRB maintains a full-time staff of specialists in highway transportation matters to bring the findings of research directly to those in a position to use them.
The program is developed on the basis of research needs identified by chief administrators and other staff of the highway and transportation departments, by committees of AASHTO, and by the FHWA. Topics of the highest merit are selected by the AASHTO Special Committee on Research and Innovation (R&I), and each year R&Iʼs recommendations are proposed to the AASHTO Board of Directors, the FHWA, and the National Academies. Research projects to address these topics are defined by NCHRP, and qualified research agencies are selected from submitted proposals. Administration and oversight of research contracts are the responsibilities of NCHRP.
The needs for highway research are many, and NCHRP can make significant contributions to solving highway transportation problems of mutual concern to many responsible groups. The program, however, is intended to complement, rather than to substitute for or duplicate, other highway research programs.
NCHRP RESEARCH REPORT 1171
Project 08-130
ISSN 2572-3766 (Print)
ISSN 2572-3774 (Online)
ISBN 978-0-309-60411-6
Library of Congress Control Number 2026937302
© 2026 by the National Academy of Sciences. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and the graphical logo are trademarks of the National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
COPYRIGHT INFORMATION
Authors herein are responsible for the originality and accuracy of their materials and for obtaining written permissions from publishers or persons who own the copyright to any previously published or copyrighted material used herein.
The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) grants permission to reproduce written material in this publication for classroom and non-commercial purposes subject to the rights of any third parties and appropriate attribution. Permission is given with the understanding that none of the material will be used to imply NAS, TRB, AASHTO, APTA, FAA, FHWA, FTA, GHSA, or NHTSA endorsement of a particular product, method, or practice. For other uses of the written material, users must request permission from the National Academies Press.
Cover image credit: Texas Transportation Institute
NOTICE
The research report was reviewed by the technical panel and accepted for publication according to procedures established and overseen by the Transportation Research Board and approved by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.
This material is based upon work supported by the FHWA under Agreement No. 693JJ32350025. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed or implied in this document are those of the researchers who performed the research and are not necessarily those of the Transportation Research Board; the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine; the FHWA; or the program sponsors.
The Transportation Research Board does not develop, issue, or publish standards or specifications. The Transportation Research Board manages applied research projects which provide the scientific foundation that may be used by Transportation Research Board sponsors, industry associations, or other organizations as the basis for revised practices, procedures, or specifications.
The Transportation Research Board; the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine; and the sponsors of the National Cooperative Highway Research Program do not endorse products or manufacturers. Trade or manufacturersʼ names or logos appear herein solely because they are considered essential to the object of the report.
Published research reports of the
NATIONAL COOPERATIVE HIGHWAY RESEARCH PROGRAM
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The National Academy of Engineering was established in 1964 under the charter of the National Academy of Sciences to bring the practices of engineering to advising the nation. Members are elected by their peers for extraordinary contributions to engineering. Dr. Tsu-Jae Liu is president.
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Learn more about the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine at www.nationalacademies.org.
The Transportation Research Board is one of four centers of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. The mission of the Transportation Research Board is to mobilize expertise, experience, and knowledge to anticipate and solve complex transportation-related challenges. The Boardʼs varied activities annually engage more than 5,500 engineers, scientists, and other transportation researchers and practitioners from the public and private sectors and academia, all of whom contribute their expertise in the public interest. The program is supported by state departments of transportation, federal agencies including component administrations of the U.S. Department of Transportation, and other organizations and individuals interested in the development of transportation.
Learn more about the Transportation Research Board at www.TRB.org.
COOPERATIVE RESEARCH PROGRAMS
CRP STAFF FOR NCHRP RESEARCH REPORT 1171
Monique R. Evans, Director, Cooperative Research Programs
Waseem Dekelbab, Deputy Director, Cooperative Research Programs, and Manager, National Cooperative Highway Research Program
Christopher T. McKenney, Senior Program Officer
Sheila A. Moore, Program Associate
Natalie Barnes, Director of Publications
Brian Haefs, Associate Director of Publications
Brendan Foht, Senior Editor
NCHRP PROJECT 08-130 PANEL
Field of Transportation Planning—Area of Planning Methods & Processes
David C. Harris, New Mexico Department of Transportation, Santa Fe, NM (Chair)
Andrew M. Batson, WSP, York, PA
Barbara K. Cline, Prairie Hills Transit, Spearfish, SD
Lyn Hellegaard, Missoula Ravali Transportation Management Association, Missoula, MT
Gladys Hurwitz, Loudoun County, Leesburg, VA
Jean M. Ruestman, Michigan Department of Transportation, Lansing, MI
Grant A. Sparks, Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation, Richmond, VA
Gwo-Wei Torng, FTA, Washington, DC
Shanjiang Zhu, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA
Bronwen Keiner, FHWA Liaison
Rebecca Anger, AASHTO Liaison
FOREWORD
By David M. Jared
Staff Officer
Transportation Research Board
NCHRP Research Report 1171: Public Transit and Ride Sharing for Rural, Tribal, and Frontier Agencies: A Guide presents guidance for transportation agencies on integrating public transportation in less populated areas with shared-use mobility (SUM) services. The guide provides examples of notable practices and lessons learned from various transportation agencies and presents information regarding SUM services and technology that can be scaled to rural, tribal, or frontier settings. The guide should be of value to state departments of transportation (DOTs) and other agencies seeking to improve available transportation services and enhance mobility options in their communities or regions via innovations in SUM.
SUM commonly encompasses ride sharing, car sharing, ride hailing, microtransit, mobility on demand, vanpooling services and systems, and other forms of transportation services shared among users. Since SUM practices have emerged in urban areas, there may be opportunities to apply these practices to the transportation needs of less populated communities. SUM practices have successfully connected people to mobility options, and small urban, rural, and frontier communities have become increasingly interested in them to improve their overall mobility and accessibility. In less densely populated areas, fewer private transportation options, greater distances between origins and destinations, limited public transportation staff and resources, and a limited supporting infrastructure create challenges for successfully implementing SUM practices. However, certain SUM practices from urban areas may be scaled to foster their implementation. Further research, building on previous work, was needed to help state DOTs assist public transportation providers in meeting the increasingly varied transportation needs of less populated communities.
Under NCHRP Project 08-130, “Best Practices in Coordination of Public Transit and Ride Sharing,” Texas A&M Transportation Institute was asked to develop a guide for state DOTs and other transportation agencies on innovative applications for integrating public transportation in less populated areas with SUM services. For this research, SUM services included ride sharing, car sharing, ride hailing, microtransit, mobility on demand, and vanpooling services and systems. Case studies were conducted on urban, rural, and frontier partnerships, highlighting challenges and solutions addressing ADA accessibility; regulatory, policy, and funding issues; service and cost efficiency; scalability to small urban, rural, and frontier communities; liability concerns; and data security. Planning and implementation tools were also developed for use by a broad set of stakeholders seeking to implement SUM.
In addition to NCHRP Research Report 1171, the following deliverables can be found at nationalacademies.org/publications by searching for NCHRP Research Report 1171: Public Transit and Ride Sharing for Rural, Tribal, and Frontier Agencies: A Guide:
- A conduct of research report documenting the entire research effort, available as NCHRP Web-Only Document 443: Public Transit and Ride Sharing for Rural, Tribal, and Frontier Agencies: Research into Coordination.
- Document templates for SUM solicitations, procurements, and agreements.
- A spreadsheet checklist tool for planning and implementing SUM services.
- An implementation memo.
- A slide summary of the research findings.
