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Gas prices are up. The elderly population is growing. Distances are great. Money for buses is tight. For many outstate Minnesota residents, getting to work, to the doctor, to the grocery store and elsewhere is tougher than it used to be.

As a result, some communities are trying new ways to help people get around, from personal transportation consultants to programs that keep seniors driving longer.

High tech transit emerging in the woods

Increasing demand and uncertain budgets have rural Minnesota transit systems looking to combine technology and personal service to become more efficient.

Lift weights and play ping pong to keep driving

Keeping elderly people in their cars is one way to address the economic and demographic factors that make it harder for many Minnesotans to get where they want to go.

Fixing a ride, fixing a life on the Iron Range

Sometimes people need more than just a ride to work. A four-year-old program in northern Minnesota aims to provide transportation but also set low-income people on a better path.

Lowering barriers to a reliable car

While public transit can be an answer for some low-income people, in outstate Minnesota the overwhelming majority need to solve the problem with a car.

Getting There: live chat

Our open online discussion for you to add your voice to the conversation about transit. We have folks from rural transit systems, MnDOT and more, so make a comment, ask a question or just sit back and enjoy the ride


More people are getting there in Montevideo

Minnesota's fastest growing transit system over the past five years? The one run by the small town of Montevideo.

Getting to the concert in Pipestone and other unmet needs

Outstate Minnesota's unmet transportation needs range from getting to an evening concert to finding a way to ride a bus to the Twin Cities, members of the Public Insight Network say.

 



Bush Foundation

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