ABSTRACT
Policy is an essential tool in rethinking how we develop community and how we provide transportation access in an equitable fashion to tackle the access problems of the Transit Desert. This chapter focuses on distinct populations, in particular the transportation deprived and underserved, but it adds light to the overall challenge of transit access in the modern, technological environment in which current society exists. Paratransit should be explored when attempting to bring access to Transit Deserts because it is often used in places where the formal government owned and/or regulated transportation systems are inadequate or for the most part nonexistent. Digital technology has changed the way we live and operate in the world, and all modes of travel have been impacted by its use. Vehicle sharing is a great way to augment transit, but is not a substitute for quality public transit, especially in communities which function as Transit Deserts.
