Western Transportation Institute – Montana State University will produce for Modoc County Transportation Commission a Concept of Operations and a Literature Review for a Rural Trip Planning Tool (Rural TPT) to serve eastern California. These documents, to be completed by June 30, 2004, are being written to address the needs and concerns of the partnering regional transportation planning agencies and transit operators, who should benefit from the Rural TPT, Caltrans District 2 and Caltrans Headquarters. The documents will serve as the foundation for the Rural TPT project, to be contracted separately using funds from Caltrans Division of Research and Innovation, as described below: “Problem Statement – Rural transit providers struggle with high demand for trip planning services. The demand comes from many sources: rural residents traveling to regional medical centers for specialized health care; travelers having occasional vehicle problems or accidents causing them to leave or return to remote rural areas via public transportation; transit-dependent travelers making intercity trips for business, social or recreational purposes; and others who want to use public transportation instead of their automobiles. What’s needed is a centralized system for intercity travelers, transportation professionals and social services agencies to access information to facilitate travel using two or more transportation providers. Existing trip planning tools have been developed for metropolitan areas. Research is needed to determine what type of system(s)) will meet the needs of rural transit operators and intercity travelers. Objectives – The objectives of this project are to research available coordinated trip planning systems; select a system for testing along the eastern Sierra corridor; then test and evaluate that system. Multiple rural transit operators will use the intercity trip planning tool for intercity travel, by social service organizations, and by the general public. “Multiple” is a key word, for in rural areas trips to regional centers usually require transfers between two or more operators. The envisioned coordination will allow access to schedule, fare and trip-planning information for multiple operators such as regular fixed route service; client-based or “dial-a-ride” service; and connections to Amtrak, Greyhound, and airports” (from the Revised Project Summary, February 6, 2004).