CHAPTER 1
Guide Overview

This guide synthesizes examples of notable shared-use mobility (SUM) practices and lessons learned from transit agencies and other transportation-providing organizations. The guide is intended to help provide guidance to rural, tribal, and frontier agencies looking to improve available transportation service and enhance mobility options in their communities or regions. These improvements or enhancements could take the form of a new on-demand service or program, a partnership with a private vendor for service delivery, implementation of a new technology platform supporting existing transportation service, or one of many other opportunities brought about by innovations in SUM. The guide presents information for consideration in SUM services and technology that can be scaled to rural, tribal, or frontier settings.

The intended audiences for the guide and its associated resources include rural transit agencies, specialized transportation programs, non-profit organizations providing transportation, tribal governments and other entities engaged in rural transportation (e.g., cities/municipalities, counties, metropolitan planning organizations, and councils of government), along with state departments of transportation (DOTs) supporting coordination. The guide focuses on considerations from the public or non-profit agency perspective rather than the private industry perspective.

The lessons learned that are synthesized in the guide may be more applicable in some places and less applicable in others depending on the type of organization and SUM service(s) that the reader is interested in. This is understandable given the different goals of agencies and organizations and the distinctive characteristics of local service needs and conditions.

How to Use the Guide

The guide is organized into chapters covering topics relevant to implementation of SUM services or technology integrations. The chapter topics address key issues in rural, tribal, and frontier transportation.

Each chapter of the guide includes discussions of selected topics to help guide the reader in planning a SUM implementation. Call-outs of service/program examples from rural transit agencies and other transportation-providing organizations highlight successful rural SUM service implementations, and they offer readers practical insights and actionable lessons, illustrate real-world applications of the strategies discussed in the guide (emphasizing the importance of tailored solutions, community engagement, and partnership-building), and provide examples that could serve as inspiration for agencies looking to replicate the successes in their own regions.

The remaining chapters of this guide are as follows:

• Chapter 2: Establishing Goals. This chapter discusses considerations in establishing goals for SUM service and right-sizing goals based on the service type as well as community needs.

• The chapter also discusses the importance of involving community stakeholders in the goal-setting process and aligning goals with those of involved service or technology partners for more successful outcomes.
• Chapter 3: Local Coordination. This chapter discusses considerations in coordinating with other government, non-profit, and stakeholder organizations to determine service needs and available shared resources to support SUM service. Discussion of developing working groups, coordinating efforts between state and local agencies, and creating coordination frameworks is also included.
• Chapter 4: Policy Development. This chapter discusses considerations in developing strong service policies for a new SUM service or technology implementation, including aligning policies with service goals and different operational facets and specifying requirements in vendor or partnership agreements that align with policy and service parameters.
• Chapter 5: Regulations and Permitting. This chapter discusses considerations in following applicable regulations relevant to public transportation and/or funding requirements, including available guidance on any applicable requirements and regional need. The chapter also includes discussion of insurance and liability coverage needs as well as permitting considerations for applicable SUM services.
• Chapter 6: Access. This chapter discusses considerations in ensuring SUM services are distributed and available to all groups, including persons with disabilities. Discussion includes actions for compliance with the ADA and Title VI requirements in service planning and provision, as well as steps to help riders learn about service components and feel comfortable with the technology.
• Chapter 7: Service Partnerships. This chapter discusses considerations in developing partnerships with other public or private entities involved directly with the SUM service or providing supporting funds/services in some manner. Discussion includes potential approaches for partnering with other governmental entities and local businesses, developing service procurement documents, and planning for the financial sustainability of the service.
• Chapter 8: Technology and Infrastructure. This chapter discusses considerations in working with technology and infrastructure available in the local region to ensure success in SUM service operations and usability. Discussion includes actions to increase customer access in rural areas with lower cellular/broadband coverage, scaling service models for rural conditions, and coordinating improvements to infrastructure with other governmental entities.
• Chapter 9: Marketing and Customer Education. This chapter discusses considerations and potential actions to help increase the visibility of and customer understanding about available SUM services. Discussion covers possible approaches to developing and disseminating customer education materials, the importance of marketing resources and budget, and integrating stakeholder engagement throughout the life of the service.
• Chapter 10: Data and Performance Measurement. This chapter discusses considerations in data management as well as planning for data availability and performance measurement of the SUM service. Discussion includes data-sharing agreements with private vendors, developing data management plans, integrating data generated by the service into initiatives, and developing a performance measurement framework and process.

At the end of the guide, the following three appendices provide additional information about the guide and how to use the accompanying materials that are available for download at nationalacademies.org/publications by searching for NCHRP Research Report 1171: Public Transit and Ride Sharing for Rural, Tribal, and Frontier Agencies: A Guide:

• Appendix A: Glossary of Terms. This appendix provides terms and their definitions as used in the guide and its additional resources. A list of abbreviations and acronyms used in this report is also included in this appendix.
• Appendix B: How to Use the Document Templates. This appendix describes the collection of document templates accompanying this guide and available for download. The document

• templates include requests for information (RFIs), requests for proposals (RFPs), service agreements, and an intergovernmental agreement.
• Appendix C. How to Use the Implementation Checklist. This appendix provides an overview of the implementation checklist tool accompanying this guide and available for download. The checklist tool contains tasks and action items that a user can consider and complete across eight implementation steps (e.g., goal setting, evaluation criteria).

How to Use the Associated Web-Only Document

Associated with this guide is NCHRP Web-Only Document 443: Public Transit and Ride Sharing for Rural, Tribal, and Frontier Agencies: Research into Coordination, a comprehensive document detailing the research tasks, analyses, and resulting resources developed in association with the project. The web-only document was developed in phases from three interim reports prepared over the course of the project. The interim reports were reviewed by a project panel selected by TRB, while the other resources as well as specific components of the reports were reviewed by stakeholders at rural transportation agencies and other associated organizations.

NCHRP Web-Only Document 443 is organized into the following chapters:

• Executive Summary
• Introduction
• Literature Review and Industry Scan
• Results from Workshop Outreach
• Results from Provider Interviews Outreach
• Case Study Profiles on Rural SUM
• Guide Development
• Document and Agreement Templates
• Implementation Checklist
• Further Research Needs
• Appendix A. Glossary of Terminology
• Appendix B. Rural SUM Industry Scan
• Appendix C: Interview Guide
• References

NCHRP Web-Only Document 443 provides the basis for the information used to develop this guide as well as the Document Templates and Implementation Checklist resources. The report should be referenced to learn more about key considerations for SUM in rural, tribal, and frontier communities.

How to Use the Slide Deck

A summary slide deck on the NCHRP 08-130 research project is available for download from this publicationʼs webpage, which 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. The slide deck provides information about the research project tasks performed; key findings about SUM in rural, tribal, and frontier communities; and the resources developed as part of the research project.

The slide deck can be used to review the overall findings from the project and learn about the resources developed and available for staff at agencies or organizations engaged in rural transportation. The slide deck also provides references to specific chapters and sections in NCHRP Web-Only Document 443 as well as additional resources that the user can pursue for more information.