Toward Intelligent Rural Mobility: A Systematic Review of AI-Enabled Transportation Systems and Research Gaps

Abstract: Rural transportation systems continue to face persistent challenges associated with low population density, inadequate infrastructure, limited public transit availability, and poor digital connectivity. These limitations negatively affect accessibility, healthcare access, economic participation, and social inclusion in remote communities. Recent advancements in Artificial Intelligence (AI), Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS), Internet of Things (IoT), and data-driven mobility services have enabled the development of intelligent and adaptive transportation solutions for low- density rural networks. This study presents a systematic review of research published between 2020 and 2026 on AI- enabled rural transportation and smart mobility systems. A PRISMA-based methodology was adopted to identify, screen, and analyze relevant studies collected from major academic databases, including IEEE Xplore, Scopus, SpringerLink, ACM Digital Library, and ScienceDirect.

Keywords: Rural mobility, Artificial Intelligence, Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS), Smart mobility, Demand- Responsive Transit, Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS), Transportation optimization, Accessibility.