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1 Providing connectivity to the local community or region served by a general aviation airport is essential for providing a complete service to airport users and capturing eco- nomic benefit whether large or small. The users of small airports rely on ground trans- portation alternatives for many reasons, and where none exist, there can be a glaring detachment from the airport and the community. Having the capability to connect travelers to remote off-airport locations may even be the determining factor in whether a traveler chooses to land at one airport over another. The objective of this report was to compile options, practices, and tools for airports to use to develop a sustainable last mile strategy to connect users of general aviation airports to the communities that they serve. The focus of this report is on discussing practices and providing tools that can be used by small airports. For the purposes of this study, small airports are general aviation airports that may also include nonprimary reliever and com- mercial service airports that may provide practices applicable to smaller airports. Ground transportation at general aviation airports typically consists of rental cars, courtesy vehicles, shuttles, taxis, transportation network companies (TNC), and other commercially provided transport. For years, many airports have recognized the benefit of providing a vehicle for visiting pilots and passengers to use to access meals, lodging, business meetings, entertainment, or local points of interest. The list of needs is limit- less, and thus the advent of the traditional airport courtesy vehicle. An airport courtesy vehicle may be the only way pilots and airport users can access the community or supple- ment existing public transit or commercial ground transportation options. Therefore, this report also examines how airports go about: ⢠Procuring courtesy vehicles. ⢠Insuring courtesy vehicles. ⢠Maintaining courtesy vehicles. ⢠Developing guidelines for operating courtesy vehicles. The report also provides sample tools to assist small airports with planning for and developing an overall ground transportation strategy. To determine the most common practices in use at small airports, the research team reviewed available literature on the subject, surveyed a geographically diverse representa- tion of general aviation airports, conducted interviews, and developed case examples that identify how airports provide last mile transportation services. There is not an abundance of published research regarding small airport ground transportation. The research team relied heavily on years of experience gained by airport managers and operators of airports for examples of existing programs and procedures with particular attention to effective, innovative, or practical practices in use at small airports. S U M M A R Y Last Mile in General Aviationâ Courtesy Vehicles and Other Forms of Ground Transportation
2 Last Mile in General AviationâCourtesy Vehicles and Other Forms of Ground Transportation Report Organization This synthesis of practice is divided into chapters that discuss findings of the research. Chapters 1 and 2 introduce the scope of the study and data collection effort. Chapters 3 and 4 present the findings on ground transportation alternatives and courtesy vehicles. Chapter 5 provides detailed case examples on general aviation ground transportation. Appendix A lists the airport survey respondents, and Appendix B summarizes the survey responses. A variety of tools and resources are included in Appendices C through K to assist readers in the development of effective last mile ground transportation planning at small airports.