In the April 2026 Issue of Business NH Magazine, “Transportation Special Report: Navigating Accessibility, Funding, and Infrastructure Gaps” was published.
Background Information on New Hampshire Transit
Across New Hampshire, public transportation is provided by a variety of sources including nonprofit agencies, municipal systems, and private operators, which depend on federal and state support as well as local contributions for funding.
Although New Hampshire has historically ranked near the bottom nationally in per capita state public transit funding, transit systems across the state still:
- Provided 2.7 million rides in 2025 (population of NH is 1.4 million)
- Create $110 million of estimated economic impact
- Directly employ over 300 people state-wide
Key Findings
Geographic Challenges – Services vary greatly across the state based on how rural/urban the geography and infrastructure is nearby.
- Tri-County Transit covers more than half the state geographically through flex or door-to-door routes, logging over 270,000 miles a year and providing roughly 55,000 to 58,000 rides annually on a $1.7 million budget
- Medical transportation is the highest need: Demand-response and ADA-compliant paratransit services offered through regional coordinating councils statewide often represent the only option for residents to get to medical appointments
Financial Struggles – “Nearly all of NH’s public transit system rests on federal funding administered through the Federal Transit Administration.” Capital expenses are funded at 80% federal with a 20% local match. Operating costs require a 50-50 split.
- The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act increased federal transit allocations by 20% to 30%, but without a sufficient local match, some rural providers have been forced to leave federal funds unused
- NH Transit Association advocated for $6.8 million for public transportation funding, but received only $3 million for FY26 and FY27
- If the state had funded the $6.8 million, it would have generated more than $54 million in total economic activity
- $8 million could be raised in matching funds through increasing the state gas tax by six cents and dedicating one cent to public transit
Matching funds success story: Advance Transit in the Upper Valley (which serves six municipalities) partners with Dartmouth Health and Dartmouth College to provide reliable local matching funds allowing them to draw 62% of the state’s rural 5311 allocation.
Health Care Transportation – The federal Rural Health Transformation Grant intends to offset cuts in rural health funding, allowing states to pursue structural reforms that improve access to care. New Hampshire secured an award totaling roughly $204 million annually for five years.
- COAST’s demand response services (flexible, non-fixed route), commonly used for ADA paratransit and seniors, saw ridership gains in FY2024
- Older adults and individuals living with disabilities took 24,797 trips (up 7.8% over FY2023)
- Other agencies providing services in the southeast region of the state alone accounted for another 48,000 trips and 370,000 service miles
Looking Forward
Legislative decisions at both state and federal levels will determine the future of New Hampshire’s transit systems.
- Survey findings so far reinforce a concern that transportation policy in NH often remains “siloed”
- The NH Transportation Association is wrapping up a statewide community transportation needs assessment (a data-driven effort conducted by numerous organizations)