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    <title>Transport Research International Documentation (TRID)</title>
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    <copyright>Copyright © 2026. National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.</copyright>
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    <managingEditor>tris-trb@nas.edu (Bill McLeod)</managingEditor>
    <webMaster>tris-trb@nas.edu (Bill McLeod)</webMaster>
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      <title>Transport Research International Documentation (TRID)</title>
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      <link>https://trid.trb.org/</link>
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    <item>
      <title>A practice and regime approach to sustainability transitions: The case of rural tourism travel in Bali, Indonesia</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/2743187</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Rural travel practices in a tourism destination are shaped not only by interactions between local stakeholders and visitors but also by the established system of associated technologies, policies, regulations, politics, and cultures (regime). This can limit visitors' travel options to rural areas. This paper aims to examine sustainability transitions in rural tourism travel by intersecting practice and regime through social practice and multi-level perspective frameworks. It draws on data from a sequential mixed-method study involving semi-structured interviews (n = 31) with participants from government agencies, businesses, non-government organisations, and visitors, followed by a questionnaire survey (n = 457) to visitors at rural tourism sites. Bali, Indonesia, as a major tourism destination in Asia Pacific, was chosen as it faces transport challenges with private motorised transport modes dominating local mobility practices. Findings demonstrate that structural barriers hinder visitors from performing sustainable travel practices. Deterrents were strengthened by finance and energy regimes. Through intersections of practice and regime approaches, this study suggests finance-energy regimes to diminish strong barriers that currently inhibit more sustainable travel innovations (niches). Change is needed at all levels of authority to influence rural travel motivations (meanings) and encourage sustainable travel. The combination of social practice and multi-level perspectives has enabled this study to identify the most influential regimes determining rural tourism travel practices and the key stakeholders potentially able to unlock transitions. There is applicability to other tourism destinations to identify transitions in transport modes and local mobility practices.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 01 Sep 2026 14:02:29 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/2743187</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Navigating social networks: How do concentric and extended ties influence rural leisure participation?</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/2679184</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Leisure activities are an integral part of everyday life. However, research on the corresponding activity-travel behavior has been predominantly urban-centric, with limited attention to rural contexts. Moreover, modeling efforts often emphasize socioeconomic characteristics, with individual social relations receiving far less attention. Taking Dali, China, as a case, this study applies structural equation modeling to identify latent dimensions of social networks and estimate their direct and indirect associations with leisure participation among rural residents. Drawing on the differential mode of association and the spatial embeddedness of social ties, we distinguish between inward-focused concentric ties and outward-reaching extended ties in rural residents' networks. Both types of ties are positively associated with leisure activity diversity, but their associations differ across activity frequency and space. Stronger concentric ties are associated with more frequent activities but a smaller activity space, whereas stronger extended ties correspond to a broader activity space, with no clear link to activity frequency. Further analysis of indirect pathways indicates both ties mediate the relationships between individual characteristics and activity frequency/space, with marked heterogeneity across groups. For example, for activity frequency, the positive indirect effect via concentric ties is more pronounced among women, older adults, and ethnic minorities; for activity space, the positive indirect effect via extended ties is observed among the higher-educated. Conversely, the total indirect effects of these two ties on activity diversity are not significant. These findings highlight the social embeddedness of rural leisure and the role of distinct social ties.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 27 Apr 2026 14:58:58 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/2679184</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Post-COVID Pandemic National Travel Changes</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/2666576</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Many studies examined the travel changes due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It is now  It is now evident that many travel trends have returned to near normal. It is also clear that some have not, and that changes vary greatly depending on location, community type (urban vs suburban vs rural), previous mode split, state/local response to COVID-19, and many other factors. The Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) tasked the Traffic Engineering Council with identifying and assessing travel characteristics that have not yet returned to pre-COVID conditions. The effort, reported in this article, quantifies the changes, identifies the implications for ITE and our industry, and develops a list of ways ITE needs to adjust and perhaps update manuals, processes, and standard practices.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 12 Feb 2026 16:46:26 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/2666576</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>“Having your own vehicle… it changes everything.” Rural car access, (im)mobility, and quality of life</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/2613731</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Achieving mobility is more difficult for people living in small and rural communities, particularly for those who have little or no access to a personal vehicle. This study investigates the transportation experiences of people with limited or no vehicle access living in small and rural communities. Using qualitative interview data with residents of the Northeast Kingdom, a largely rural region of Vermont, and rural towns and small cities that serve rural areas of the San Joaquin Valley in California, we evaluate the connection between mobility, wellbeing, and quality of life in rural U.S. communities. Through thematic analysis, we find that owning a vehicle and having the resources to maintain and operate it are important determinants of mobility. Living in a town center and leveraging social connections can also support mobility. Many people without their own car still primarily get around by car, by getting rides. Some also rely on transit, walking, biking, and hitchhiking. Securing consistent vehicle access is difficult for many due to high maintenance costs, the unreliability of less expensive vehicles, and a lack of access to local mechanics. Collectively, these experiences have major quality of life impacts through missed trips for social connection and healthcare, among others. Strategies to improve rural mobility and accessibility include increasing affordable housing in small town-centers, expanding access to essential services in rural population and activity centers, expanding individual and shared vehicle access, formalizing informal community ride networks, and expanding on-demand transit services.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Wed, 19 Nov 2025 09:39:47 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/2613731</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Rural–nonrural divide in car access and unmet travel need in the United States</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/2521817</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Car access is practically a necessity to get around in rural areas of the United States. Yet approximately 4% of rural residents or 4.3 million people do not have a car. Despite important rural–nonrural differences in the built environment and how people travel, research on rural mobility disparities by car access is limited. This paper addresses this gap by asking and answering the following questions: (1) What are the scope and scale of rural car access in the U.S. and what are the factors associated with not having a car? (2) How do rural carless residents get around relative to their nonrural peers? (3) What are the consequences of not having car access in rural areas? The authors used a dichotomous rural–nonrural classification to evaluate differences in car access and mobility outcomes between rural and nonrural areas using the U.S. Census Bureau Public Use Microdata Sample and the National Household Travel Survey. The results reveal new evidence on socioeconomic and mobility disparities by car access within and between rural and nonrural areas. Rural carless households earn 64% less and 40% less than their counterparts with full car access and their nonrural counterparts, respectively. Rural Native Americans, Black, and Asian populations have a 2.1 times, 1.3 times, and 1.3 times the odds of being carless, respectively, than their rural white peers, after controlling for other factors. Despite their lack of access to a car, a significantly smaller proportion of rural carless residents bike, walk, or take transit for work trips than their nonrural peers (38.9% vs. 74.6%), which may indicate infeasibility of sustainable modes in some rural areas. Consequently, rural carless residents are 2 times more likely to forsake trips than their nonrural peers due to a lack of transportation options. Their findings highlight rural mobility inequities that carless people face relative to their nonrural peers, which merit attention and tailored policy interventions to improve rural mobility, sustainability, accessibility, and equity.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Wed, 19 Mar 2025 16:58:50 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/2521817</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Questioning the relevance of using Physical Internet for managing autonomous train shuttles in rural areas</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/2493209</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Current logistics and transportation activities are unsustainable in the long run, prompting several authors to focus their efforts on developing solutions. However, the majority of the proposed solutions are aimed toward a more urban setting, disregarding rural or sparsely populated areas since they present numerous and difficult challenges.In this context, the EU adopted a strategy based on the Physical Internet paradigm to achieve a sustainable logistics and transportation system by 2050. One solution focuses on the reuse of railway lines that are currently underutilized or unaffected by the introduction of autonomous shuttles that transport passengers and small packages. However, no analysis of the capacities provided by the Physical Internet for the application of these shuttles has been conducted to date. As a result, the purpose of this article is to conduct an analysis of the challenges and opportunities of the rural context, as well as the potential solutions offered by the Physical Internet to address them.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:08:06 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/2493209</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>A silent revolution: Rapid rise of cycling to school in rural India</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/2417716</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Cycling to school improves access to education for children, provides them physical activity benefits, and gives them independence in mobility. There is a poor understanding of the levels of cycling to school, who cycles, and how these behaviours have changed over time in India. The authors address this major research gap using data from the three rounds, covering a decade (2007, 2014, and 2017), of a population-representative nationwide education survey of a sample of households in India. The dataset reported the mode of transport to school. They conducted national and sub-national (35 states of India) exploratory analyses of longitudinal changes in cycling to school by trip distance, age and gender, and urban and rural residence, for school-going children aged 5–17 years. They developed logistic regression models to understand the associations of these characteristics on cycling use and how they vary over time. They also gathered information on bicycle distribution schemes (BDS) implemented in multiple Indian states, under which school-going children are provided free bicycles by the government, and tested the impact of such schemes on cycling levels. Nationally, cycling to school levels increased from 6.6% to 11.2% over the decade (2007 to 2017). These levels nearly doubled in rural India (6.3% to 12.3%) while remaining stable (7.8% to 8.3%) in urban areas. Among the four population sub-groups (rural/urban x female/male), the largest increase in cycling was among girls in rural areas. Nationally, the gender gap in cycling reduced in rural areas through an increase in cycling among girls and, in urban areas, through a reduction of cycling among boys. In rural areas, cycling increased across all distance ranges, except for >5 km where it reduced, and in urban areas, cycling reduced the most for >3 km. The authors found strong evidence that BDS helped increase cycling levels in states where it was implemented and their greatest impact was for cycling among rural girls. Gender norms, affordability of bicycles, distance to school, and safety on roads are likely the major determinants of cycling to school in India.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Wed, 28 Aug 2024 13:22:31 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/2417716</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Factors influencing bikeshare service and usage in a rural college town: A case study of Montgomery County, VA</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/2361957</link>
      <description><![CDATA[While much of the bikeshare boom has centered around larger cities, smaller, lower-density, and even some rural communities have also implemented bikeshare systems successfully. Using a bikeshare dataset of more than 14,000 trips that cover the period from July 2018 to December 2021 for both pedal and e-bikes, this paper describes the structure and performance of ROAM NRV, a bikeshare system in Montgomery County, Virginia—which is home to Virginia Tech university and has many areas classified as rural. The paper presents bikeshare users’ travel behaviors and usage trends (including during the COVID-19 pandemic). Moreover, compares the usage of the system’s pedal bicycles to electric bicycles (e-bikes) that were introduced in 2021. Findings indicated that residents of Blacksburg and Christiansburg regularly use and benefit from bikeshare much like their urban counterparts do. Ridership was noted to likely be more common among university affiliates with trips more likely to start/end on or around campus due to the number of stations located within campus grounds. Trail usage was also high among bikeshare users due to the extensive trail network within and between the towns. As rural bikeshare users tend to travel greater distances and encounter more varying terrains throughout their commutes, considering e-bikes instead of pedal bike systems should increase the utilization of such mobility systems in rural areas. When electric assist bicycles were first introduced to the system, initially replacing some and then all former pedal bicycles, utilization increased significantly compared to pedal bike usage.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 18 Apr 2024 17:07:03 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/2361957</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Development of Mobility as a Service (MaaS) for intercity travel &amp; rural/island areas: the case study of Greece</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/2315139</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The specific features and requirements of island regions and rural areas make Mobility as a Service (MaaS) an attractive and evolving concept in the realm of Intercity/Rural/Island transportation. The primary goal of this research is to provide qualitative insights relative to the added value and development of MaaS for the previously mentioned transport services through a case study from Greece, a country with approximately 250 inhabited islands. In island settings, the primary societal motivation for MaaS is to enhance the accessibility of islands and improve individuals' access to multiple transport services. MaaS is found to have a strong potential to act as an enabler for more efficient transport and better accessibility to remote/island locations, acting in a complementary manner with currently applied “external” measures such as the Greek “Transport Equivalent”. To further assess the potential, development and impact of MaaS a focus group comprised by key-representatives from industry and academia stakeholders is created. The MaaS Ecosystem, as described by the experts, is comprised of the MaaS Provider, all the intercity/rural/island transport providers currently operating in the Greek market, MaaS Enabling entities (associations, regulators, investors, research institutions), the Integration Drivers and the customers. The issue of transport providers’ liability in case of disruptions and existing market regulations constitute, according to the results, an important challenge towards development of an Intercity MaaS, which needs to be addressed by legislative studies in a pan-European level. Most likely user groups for Intercity/Rural/Island MaaS are young people and digitally educated people, whilst less likely patronage groups are the elderly and “vulnerable” population groups. Relative to the external environment, high degree of fragmentation of the intercity transport industry combined by “autonomous” behavior of actors (“silo effect”) appears to be the greatest threat towards MaaS whilst anticipated capital investments in infrastructure and vehicles, which are foreseen in the proxime future, are the greatest opportunities.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Fri, 12 Jan 2024 14:57:33 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/2315139</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Rural Transportation Issues: Research Roadmap</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/1882047</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Rural areas in every state experience myriad challenges related directly or indirectly to transportation. These challenges vary among and within states and in the ways transportation can be part of a solution. Challenges include air service from rural airports; access to health care; availability of emergency medical services after a crash; mobility of the elderly and people with disabilities; the movement of agricultural products to markets; human trafficking; access to high-speed electronic communications; natural disasters; passenger rail services; agency workforce recruitment and retention; and the relationship of transportation to economic development. This report identifies transportation-related issues faced by rural communities and suggests research needed to provide information and data to state departments of transportation (DOTs) and other public agencies to inform infrastructure investment decisions.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 18 Oct 2021 12:36:38 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/1882047</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Investigation on the Last-Mile Delivery of Rural Logistics Under Crowdsourcing Transportation in China</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/1765363</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Recently, the last-mile delivery problem of rural e-commerce has emerged and became a bottleneck issue, due to the booming development of rural e-commerce which drives the vigorous growth of upstream agricultural products and downstream industrial products. This paper takes rural areas of China as a case study to discuss the last-mile delivery cost under crowdsourcing logistics. Owing to the absence of theoretical guidance on rural crowdsourcing logistics, the paper firstly intends to explore the theoretical framework of rural crowdsourcing logistics in terms of multi-level perspective (MLP). Then, the couriers’ willingness coefficient is introduced to develop a mathematical optimization model containing time windows and vehicle capacity constraints, and the heuristic algorithm is applied to solve the model. The final results indicate that the transportation cost and Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) can be saved 23.85% and 37.38% respectively, compared with conventional rural logistics. Besides, analysis indicates that under certain conditions the approach of crowdsourcing delivery can be economically competitive and has valuable implication for unchoking the last-mile delivery problem of other similar rural regions.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 22 Apr 2021 17:48:06 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/1765363</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>The geography of medical travel in India: Differences across states, and the urban-rural divide</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/1731441</link>
      <description><![CDATA[There is a large body of literature exploring spatial disparity in access to healthcare services, and the resultant geographic inequality in the demand for medical travel. The authors are, however, unaware of any such study conducted in India in the past. The transportation implications of inequitable healthcare access, therefore, remain unknown to Indian planners and policymakers. The authors use a unique dataset, the 2014–15 Domestic Tourism Expenditure survey conducted by the National Sample Survey Office, Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, Government of India, to address this critical gap in the literature. They use trip-making information of 42,547 persons (13,525 urban and 29,022 rural residents) belonging to 28 Indian states in order to analyze the variation in individuals' medical trip destination choice, on average, across states. The authors analyze overnight trips (i.e., trips involving at least one night stay away from home) made for medical purposes only. Specifically, they isolate and compare the independent influence of state of residence (i.e., the state-effect) on residents' choice of within-district and out-of-state medical care location, after controlling for various personal and household factors that also govern choice. Additionally, they select a sub-sample of individuals who made out-of-state medical trips, and analyze state-level differences in the likelihood of long or >1500 km (vs. short or ≤1500 km) distance medical travel. The authors analyze urban and rural residents separately, and estimate a pooled model to explore intra-state urban-rural differences in medical trip destination choice. Their analyses reveal significant variation in urban and rural residents' destination choice for medical trips across India's states. The authors also find within-state urban-rural differences in destination choice to vary significantly across states. Their analysis provides new information on the geography of medical travel in India, underscoring the need for further research on the causes and consequences of the geographic disparity in healthcare access, and targeted action to improve healthcare access equitably across states. The authors expect their paper to stimulate further research to guide national and state health and transportation policies in India.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 29 Sep 2020 11:06:25 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/1731441</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Impact on Road Safety and Operation of Rerouting Traffic in Rural Travel Time Information System</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/1730355</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The Travel Time Information System (TTIS) is an Intelligent Traffic Control System installed in Poland. As is common, travel time is the only factor in the decision about rerouting traffic, while a route recommendation may consider multiple criteria, including road safety. The aim of the paper is to analyze the safety level of the entire road network when traffic is rerouted on paths with different road categories, intersection types, road environments, and densities of access points. Furthermore, a comparison between traffic operation and road safety performance was carried out, considering travel time and delay, and the authors predicted the number of crashes for each possible route. The results of the present study allow for maximizing safety or traffic operation characteristics, providing an effective tool in the management of the rural road system. The paper provides a methodology that can be transferred to other TTISs for real-time management of the road network.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 29 Sep 2020 09:58:49 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/1730355</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Rural Traveler Information Needs Assessment and Pilot Study Phase III : Bordering States Rural Coverage Final Report</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/1738110</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Real-time traveler information services have thrived in two primary contexts: urban-focused systems and regional systems. Urban systems, strengthened by an extensive sensing and technology infrastructure, can offer significant volumes of information, updated on regular intervals. Regional systems offer information over a larger geographic area and can more readily serve travelers on less regular trips, such as recreational or longer distance travel. However, these systems generally provide information on specific areas or highway segments, meaning that prospective travelers may need to consult multiple links to determine the travel conditions they will experience, and make a prudent decision regarding when to leave, which route to take, and how to prepare for the trip.The objective of this project has been to present both route-oriented and regional real-time and near real-time information together in a single web-based location and in a user-friendly format that does not stop at jurisdictional boundary lines (state, district or county lines, for example). This allows travelers making a trip in or through rural areas to have current travel information on a route-specific basis and across a wide geographic area, customized for a specific origin and destination, which will help them to make their trip more safely and with minimum delay.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 24 Sep 2020 18:27:14 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/1738110</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Community-Based Approach to Addressing Transportation Needs for Rural Older Adults in Canada: 
Progress in Research</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/1705858</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Over the last 60 years, rural areas of Canada have become increasingly car-dependent and among the most rapidly aging. In areas such as New Brunswick (pop. 750,000), a Province on Canada’s east coast where approximately 50% of the population lives in rural areas, there have been few if any transportation options for rural older adults who are unable to drive themselves. Local non-profit groups have organized volunteer-based automobile transportation in response to this need, facilitated in part through public funding, though early on faced challenges that limited widespread development.  This paper presents a summary of research undertaken in New Brunswick, Canada, towards understanding the use of Volunteer Driver Programs to help older adults meet their transportation needs.  This paper describes the development of these programs in New Brunswick over time, as well as profiling the progress in research, including exploring how transportation engineering and planning tools can be used to support program development. Research includes developing a common data collection and reporting standard for programs; quantifying "successful" programs through a maturity model; the potential for autonomous vehicles to address rural transportation needs.  The lessons of the New Brunswick experience can be valuable for car-dependent rural jurisdictions looking for low-cost solutions to assist older adults who cannot meet their transportation needs independently.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 11 May 2020 16:06:45 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/1705858</guid>
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