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Rural Health Information Hub

Transportation to Support Rural Healthcare – Resources

Selected recent or important resources focusing on Transportation to Support Rural Healthcare.

Public Transportation's Role in Rural Healthcare Access with Carol Wright Kenderdine
An episode of the Exploring Rural Health podcast featuring Carol Wright Kenderdine. Discusses transportation needs and challenges faced by rural older adults and people with disabilities. Explains the role of rural public transit agencies, national resources available to support transit, and how COVID-19 has spurred innovation in rural transportation.
Date: 03/2022
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Travel Behavior of Transportation-Disadvantaged Populations: Trends and Geographic Disparities
Analyzes travel behavior and mobility of the elderly, people with disabilities, low-income households, and those living in rural areas. Utilizes data from the 2017 National Household Travel Survey (NHTS) to analyze driving behaviors, transportation modes, trip purpose, and use of smartphones, with information broken down by demographic variables, including urban, suburban, second city, small town, or rural location.
Author(s): Jeremy Mattson, Antonio Molina
Date: 02/2022
Sponsoring organization: Upper Great Plains Transportation Institute
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2021 FTA Section 5310 Compendium
Provides an overview of the Section 5310 Enhanced Mobility of Seniors and Individuals with Disabilities program, which is designed to support the specialized transportation needs of older adults and people with disabilities. Discusses the role of Area Agencies on Aging (AAAs) using Section 5310 funding to develop and manage accessible transportation programs. Includes case studies and examples of how AAAs used Section 5310 funding, including programs serving rural residents.
Date: 02/2022
Sponsoring organization: National Aging and Disability Transportation Center
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Livable Communities: Transit Services and Infrastructure that Promote Livability
Discusses the characteristics of a livable community, offers examples to improve transportation services, and suggests ways to implement a successful livability initiative in rural contexts.
Date: 11/2021
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Transit Assistance Program
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Going to the Doctor: Rideshare as Nonemergency Medical Transportation
Discusses the role of rideshare-based non-emergency medical transportation (RB-NEMT) in serving the transportation needs across the country, including in rural areas. Details the different types of RB-NEMT services, such as door-to-door, curb-to-curb, hand-to-hand, and area-to-area. Breaks down the different groups that benefit from RB-NEMT by transportation limitations, age, and insurance type, among other factors. Discusses RB-NEMT's efficacy for rural areas, medical and logistical barriers, and makes policy recommendations.
Date: 10/2021
Sponsoring organization: RAND Corporation
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ADA Toolkit
Provides information and resources for local and rural transit managers. Identifies requirements under ADA regulations based on the type of transit service and best practices. Includes information on considerations for riders with disabilities related to COVID-19.
Date: 10/2021
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Transit Assistance Program
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NADTC Best Practices Compendium
Highlights innovative programs, best practices, and lessons learned by 16 programs funded by the National Aging and Disability Transportation Center (NADTC) between 2017-2019. Identifies common themes across the programs that serve as key considerations for communities that want to expand accessible transportation options for older adults and people with disabilities. Includes a section focused on rural transportation programs.
Date: 09/2021
Sponsoring organization: National Aging and Disability Transportation Center
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Understanding the Value of the Medicaid Non-Emergency Medical Transportation Benefit
Presents findings from a focus group of 41 Medicaid enrollees in six states who have either used the non-emergency medical transportation (NEMT) benefit or are caring for a Medicaid beneficiary who has used the benefit. Describes the transportation barriers focus group participants face, their health care needs and the services they use NEMT to access, their experiences using NEMT, and suggestions for improving the benefit. Includes perspectives from rural beneficiaries.
Date: 06/2021
Sponsoring organizations: Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission, PerryUndem
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National RTAP/FTA Webinar: Rural Transportation Planning and the COVID-19 Response
Webinar recording discusses how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected rural and tribal transit, their communities, and the providers responding to the pandemic. Features speakers from the Federal Transit Administration, the National Rural Transit Assistance Program, the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, the Crawford Area Transit Authority, and Nevada County Transit Services.
Date: 06/2021
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Transit Assistance Program
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RideSheet: A Transportation Technology Solution for Rural America
Explores how two non-emergency medical transportation providers in a rural county in Oregon used the open-sourced software, RideSheet, to improve scheduling and data collection. Discusses how scheduling software can make non-emergency transportation more efficient and effective.
Author(s): Jana Lynott
Date: 05/2021
Sponsoring organization: AARP
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Last Updated: 10/3/2025