Rural public transport provision varies greatly around the world. It can fluctuate from no service at all via an infrequent bus service which stops at the first sign of inclement weather to a formal train timetable which is the lifeline of the communities it serves. Sometimes it is targeted at those who have no alternative means of transportation. In other cases, it is an attempt to provide a service but ends up being not as convenient as it could be. Having only used city mass transit myself, I asked a number of friends, penpals, fellow writers and online contacts for their experiences of rural services.

American Rural Transportation

In most of the United States, it seems as if rural transport usually revolves around the bus services. Country dwellers tell of lifts to the bus stop, from where 20+ mile journeys to the nearest large town are routine. The bus system in some areas is arranged linearly through the center of each county, so transport of one sort or another is still a necessity to reach the bus services. As one user put it, “It's rural, so you still need a ride to the bus, but it gets people places.”

In rural New York state, the metro commuter rail lines are never too far away. The service extends two hours out from the city and provides a means of using mass transport to reach New York’s John F Kennedy airport from the country. It takes the same length of time as driving and from hearsay, is less stressful for those arriving on overnight international flights. From La Guardia, things are not so easy; one contact, a travel writer who lived at one time 18 miles from the airport, reports that the journey home by public transport would take her three hours even with little luggage. The bus services at times can be infrequent, and some routes are confusing, according to another rural dweller. Apparently the services do an average job of accessing the commuter train stations, however. This indicates that the majority of journeys in such areas will be at the beginning and end of the day.

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