With limited public transportation on weekends and few buses or trains outside urban areas, Southeastern Massachusetts residents face limited options in getting to work, shopping or getting to doctors' appointments.

Now a new task force is gathering information on outside-the-box solutions, including private options and volunteer drivers to fill gaps in the transportation landscape.

The newly formed Southeastern Massachusetts Transportation Alliance is planning to hold focus groups in Attleboro and other cities early next year to discuss regional transportation needs, said Louise Hardiman, a transportation planner at the Southeastern Regional Planning and Economic Development District.

Hardiman said the alliance was formed following a three-day transportation planning workshop conducted in Dedham last month by the Community Transportation Association of America.

She said that while regional transit authorities provide bus and train service in many communities throughout Southeastern Massachusetts, service is limited on Saturdays and often nonexistent on Sundays. For residents who don't have access to a car, Hardiman said, getting to work or to medical care can be complicated or impossible. The alliance plans to hold focus groups next year in Fall River, New Bedford and Taunton, as well as Attleboro, at which residents will be able to voice their transportation needs.

Meanwhile, Hardiman said, the group will construct an inventory of all transportation resources that exist in the region.

contact Hardiman at 508-824-1367 or by e-mailing her at lhardiman@srpedd.org.