Embedded Files
Interested in CR2C2 activities and engagement opportunities?
Project R3-3: An Analysis of Demand Response Transit (DRT) Travel of the Elderly, Women and the Disabled in Rural Areas: Implications for Future DRT Systems for All
Project R3-3: An Analysis of Demand Response Transit (DRT) Travel of the Elderly, Women and the Disabled in Rural Areas: Implications for Future DRT Systems for All
Principal Investigator: Candace Brakewood , University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UTK)
Other Investigators: Courtney Cronley (UTK), Christopher Cherry (UTK)
Project Partners: University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UTK)
Research Project Funding: $150,928 (Federal: $75,000; Non-Federal: $75,928)
Project Status: Completed
Project Start and End Date: 01/15/2024 to 07/14/2025
Project Summary: Demand Response Transit (DRT) services play a crucial part in supporting rural transportation, especially for individuals without private vehicle access. However, the exploration of DRT travel patterns, particularly the differences tied to demographics such as gender, age, and disability remains an underdeveloped area of research. The proposed study begins to fill this gap by analyzing real-world DRT trip data from rural Tennessee. In DRT trip reservation systems, various trip characteristics - such as trip pick-up time, drop-off time, trip distance, and trip purpose - are typically recorded, and some of these systems also collect a small number of demographic variables. For the initial study area in this proposal, the attributes of age, gender and disability status will be considered. The proposed analysis will focus on the differences in DRT travel patterns across gender, age and disability status, and their intersection, within the rural American context. The proposed analysis will include cross-tabulation statistics by demographic group and cluster analysis to identify different DRT trip patterns. This study is particularly pertinent given the characteristics of rural communities, such as widespread destinations, limited transit alternatives, and an aging demographic, which underscore the important role of DRT in rural communities throughout the United States.
Project Publications
Project Publications
Davis, M.C., and C. Brakewood. 2025. “Dialysis, Doctors, and Other Destinations in Rural Tennessee: A Comparative Analysis of Demand Response Transportation Trips by Age, Gender, and Disability Status”. Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board. DOI: 10.1177/03611981251370342.
Davis, M.C, C. Cronley, and C. Brakewood. “Who Rider Rural Transit? A Latent Profile Analysis of Rural Demand Response Transportation (DRT) Riders and Implications for Future Mobility Services”. Case Studies on Transport Policy. Status: Under Review.
Davis, M.C., and C. Brakewood. 2026. “Who Rides Rural Transit? A Latent Profile Analysis of Rural Demand Response Transit (DRT) Riders and Implications for Future Mobility Services.” Accepted Presentation at the 105th Annual Meeting of the Transportation Research Board.
Davis, M.C., and C. Brakewood. 2025. “Dialysis, Doctors, and Other Destinations in Rural Tennessee: A Comparative Analysis of Demand Response Transportation Trips by Age, Gender, and Disability Status.” Lectern Presentation at the 104th Annual Meeting of the Transportation Research Board, Washington, D.C.
Davis, M.C. 2025. “A Cluster Analysis of Demand Response Transit Travel: Preliminary Findings from Rural Tennessee.” Poster Presentation at 104th Annual Meeting of the Transportation Research Board, Washington, D.C.
Davis, M.C. 2025. “A Cluster Analysis of Demand Response Transit Travel: Preliminary Findings from Rural Tennessee.” Poster Presentation at CR2C2 Reception, Washington, D.C.
Davis, M.C., C. Brakewood, C. Cronley, and C. Cherry. 2024. “An Analysis of Demand Response Transit (DRT) Travel of the Elderly, Women and the Disabled in Rural Areas.” Poster Presentation at the Joint CATM and CR2C2 Annual Symposium, Greensboro, NC.
Acknowledgement: Funding for this research was provided by the U.S. Department of Transportation, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology (OST-R), University Transportation Centers Program, through the Center for Regional and Rural Connected Communities (CR2C2) under Grant No. 69A3552348304.
Page updated
Google Sites
Report abuse