Environmental Scan of Community Transit Needs in Massachusetts

Details

• Creators:
  Coyle, Caitlin ; Somerville, Ceara ; Lin, Yan
• Corporate Creators:
  University of Massachusetts, Boston. Center for Social and Demographic Research on Aging
• Corporate Contributors:
  Massachusetts. Department of Transportation. Office of Transportation Planning ; United States. Department of Transportation. Federal Highway Administration
• Subject/TRT Terms:
  Access Community Transportation Data Collection Environmental Scan First Mile And Last Mile Needs Assessment Public Transit Rural Areas Transit Equity Transit Needs Transportation Access Transportation Equity Transportation Planning Urban Population

  More +
• Publication/ Report Number:
  26-070
• Resource Type:
  Tech Report
• Geographical Coverage:
  United States ; Massachusetts
• Edition:
  Final Report: 2020-2025
• Corporate Publisher:
  Massachusetts. Department of Transportation
• Abstract:
  This report presents findings from the Environmental Scan of Community Transit Needs in Massachusetts, conducted for the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) Research Program. The study provides a statewide assessment of community transportation needs and mobility challenges across Massachusetts. The project included a structured environmental scan and qualitative review of 216 transportation-related reports, coordinated plans, community assessments, and gray literature sources from Regional Transit Authorities (RTAs), Aging Services Access Points (ASAPs), Councils on Aging (COAs), Community Health Needs Assessments (CHNAs), and other state and community organizations. Using a thematic coding framework, the study identified recurring transportation barriers across transportation modes, geographic regions, and population groups. Findings indicate that transportation challenges are best understood not as isolated modal deficiencies, but as interconnected mobility limitations shaped by the interaction between individual capacity, community environments, and transportation system design. Key barriers included fragmented transportation systems, limited service flexibility, inaccessible pedestrian infrastructure, first- and last-mile challenges, affordability concerns, and difficulties coordinating trips across providers and service boundaries. The report concludes that improving mobility for older adults and people with disabilities will require greater coordination, accessibility, flexibility, and more consistent statewide transportation data collection and evaluation.
• Format:
  PDF
• Collection(s):
  Federal Highway Administration
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:fbf952124c82d40bccca497fcbb1ccdbfe9a5ebea6bbe4379dd51749ab0b2384c05bf20c41abc6f2eec9bb2810136f13bb21ede5620427518423afd6ca4a197a
• Download URL:
  https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/92451/dot_92451_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 1.35 MB ]