The rural transport services (RTS) project has been implemented in five selected areas countrywide, each with unique topographic, agro-ecological, socio-economic, infrastructure and general access characteristics, including the use of intermediate means of transport (IMTs). During the first year of project implementation, information about the status and potentials regarding rural and peri-urban transport services was gathered and analyzed in order to establish the ground for the second year action research interventions. The project has been structured around three basic complimentary themes under which information geared towards achieving the objectives of the project were gathered using appropriate research tools. Three teams were set up to tackle the themes namely: policy and institutions, socio-economics and engineering and logistics. In the first phase of the project, the engineering team was charged with ascertaining the existing capacity of rural transport services in all study zones with particular reference to technology development, availability and use, development of IMT based economy, and local institutional roles and responsibilities in the provision of transport services. The outcomes were area-specific recommendations on choices of IMTs and support infrastructure, which formed the basis for interventions during the project’s second (current) phase.