Vermont Public Transportation Association members include the municipal, non-profit, general-public and paratransit providers throughout the State of Vermont. These diverse organizations creatively serve the state using a variety of vehicles from mid-size buses to volunteers who drive literally millions of miles annually and small vans that travel the back roads.

Rural Transit

As one of the most rural states in our nation, Vermont reflects the national statistics and trends. Americans living in rural areas represent 32 percent of the population. They tend to be older than Americans in urban and suburban areas and have a higher rate of home ownership. While living costs are lower in rural America, wages are also substantially lower. In a recent study of rural transportation issues, Dr. Thomas Adler of the New England Transportation Institute noted that, “...the rate of auto ownership is significantly higher in rural areas. We also know that our rural citizens have to make longer trips and travel about 30% more miles than their urban counterparts. This translates into the fact that our rural citizens spend a far greater proportion of their total income on basic transportation and it means that they have less money to spend on other necessities such as housing, food, or education.” Dr. Adler concludes by noting “...we have not properly examined the problems of limited mobility among important segments of the rural population.”

Aging Population

America and Vermont’s population is aging. By 2020, one in five drivers will be over the age of 65. The demands for public and paratransit services increase each year. Yet, if Vermont is any indication, state public transportation budgets will not keep pace with these needs.

Across the nation, the low level of state and federal budgetary support for rural public transportation is an ongoing problem. Most unit costs of transportation, whether of personal vehicle use, highway construction and maintenance, or of public transportation services, are higher in rural areas than in cities and suburbs.

Distances are greater and lower population densities suggest that utilization rates (both for highways and transit) are bound to be lower in rural areas. But that should not mean that rural businesses or residents should not have access to markets, goods, and services, yet federal funding formulas are unfortunately skewed in favor of urban needs. The lack of financial support for rural passenger transportation is particularly acute in its impact on individuals with a disability, low-wage workers (often single parents) who must not only seek job related transportation, but also work out the logistics of getting children to and from childcare, and our elder population who can no longer drive their own vehicles. Many of our citizens, most in need of services and economic opportunities, are dispersed into communities outside city centers where housing costs are more affordable. Thus, the need for adequate transportation that provides mobility and access to jobs, goods, and services is most acute in our rural areas.

Wherever Life Takes Us

The people who work in community transportation throughout the nation and here in Vermont are among the most dedicated public servants. Everyday they get patients to doctors appointments, seniors to meal sites and community centers, shoppers to retail centers, visitors to our tourist attractions, expand employment opportunities with access to jobs and school, enhance economic development while reducing pollution and congestion, and offer those who are unable to drive due to age or disability options to more fully participate in community life and work. In other words, public transportation is going wherever life takes you.

- Patricia Crocker