Transit Economic Equity Index: Developing a Comprehensive Measure of Transit Service Equity

Abstract

In this study an index is developed called the Transit Economic Equity Index, to enable quantitative assessment of transit service equity. The index measures convenience of travel for work trips for advantaged and disadvantaged populations, based on travel speed, using a multimodal network that includes transit lines, stop locations, transit schedules, and pedestrian connections via the street network. Non-peak hour service is compared with peak hour service to determine the degree to which operating resources are concentrated in times that might have greater benefits to advantaged populations. Finally, accessibility to the transit system is compared in relation to the number of transit stops in neighborhoods and employment centers, and these figures are compared between advantaged and disadvantaged locations. The scores for these three components are combined to create a single measure of transit economic equity. Disadvantage is defined using criteria established in Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The index is constructed in a way that balances a robust and meaningful measure of transit equity that is decipherable by practitioners so that they can assess the equity of their systems as well as how potential service changes affect equity.

Transportation Equity Quantification and Related Issues and Challenges

“…The equations developed by Lyons and Choi for Disadvantage Index and Transit Service Convenience Score choose only a few variables in order to keep the analysis simple, but as discussed elsewhere, simplifying the variables will inherently affect the usefulness (Lyons & Choi, 2021).…”

“…In addition, these were compared with calculated transit service convenience score, non-peak hour service score, and system access score to analyze the effectiveness of the existing systems in the test sites (Lyons & Choi, 2021). These methods both prove that certain existing transit systems demonstrate inequities as well as offer a path forward.…”

“…These changes result from routes being eliminated, transit headways being substantially reduced, or a change in fare prices. This is specifically to prevent spending from flowing more heavily to groups that are already considered advantaged (Lyons & Choi, 2021). There is no requirement by the US Department of Transportation, however, to consider equity (Krapp et al, 2021).…”

“…As currently practiced, equity is primarily a concern for individual projects and routes and is not considered for the system as a whole. In fact, considering the system as a whole is disadvantageous to planners as it only opens up a project to more questions about equity and requires much more effort (Lyons & Choi, 2021). State DOTs may be constrained based on how their funding is tied directly to certain types of infrastructure which prevents them from providing the most equitable solution (Krapp et al, 2021).…”

Impacts of Light Rail Transit on Labor Participation and Housing Affordability in the U.S.: Longitudinal Analysis Using Propensity Score Matching

“…Empirical studies have identified that the added values of residential property and rent price tend to be higher close to the transit station and get lower as the distance from transit station increases, worsening housing affordability for existing low-income residents who live near transit stops (9,10). Using microlevel and time-series public transit trip data, recent studies have extended discussions over the relationships between proximity to transit stops and residential property values into an analysis of public transit impacts on overall neighborhood change-such as transit-induced gentrification (11,12), socioeconomic inequality in communities of color or disadvantaged neighborhoods (13,14), the uneven distribution of poverty and neighborhood/racial/ ethnicity segregation (15), and public health and physical activity related to active transportation modes (16). While fixed-guideway transit development aims to improve job access for low-income and minority populations in disadvantaged neighborhoods, housing affordability close to a transit station is low.…”