Transit equity

Transit equity is the fair distribution of public transport access, benefits, and burdens across communities, especially across differences in income, race, disability, and location.

Transit accessibility: The ease with which people can reach destinations using public transport, considering service, travel time, and personal needs. Measures whether transit service connects communities to jobs, schools, healthcare, and other destinations.
Fare-free public transport: A transit policy that removes fares from some or all public transport services. Eliminating fares directly reduces passenger costs, while its effects depend on funding and service capacity.
Spatial mismatch: The geographic separation between where workers live and where suitable jobs are located. Weak transit connections can deepen this divide for workers with limited access to cars.
Transport justice: The study and practice of fairness in transport systems, including their procedures, outcomes, and distribution of harms. It provides a broader framework that includes transit equity alongside other transport modes and justice concerns.
Service frequency: The number of transit departures on a route within a given period. Frequent service reduces waiting and makes transit more useful, but is often unevenly distributed.
Income-based fares: Transit fares scaled to passengers’ income or eligibility for assistance programs. They target fare relief toward riders for whom standard prices consume a larger share of income.
Transport poverty: A condition in which inadequate transport options restrict access to essential activities or impose excessive costs. It describes the mobility deprivation that transit equity seeks to reduce.
Horizontal equity: A fairness principle that treats people with similar needs or circumstances similarly. Transit allocations based on equal service per person may overlook unequal needs and barriers.
Transit-oriented development: Compact, mixed-use development designed around public transport stations and frequent service. Can improve access while raising housing costs that displace existing residents.
Paratransit: Demand-responsive transport for people unable to use fixed-route public transit because of disability. Its coverage, booking rules, and reliability determine whether disabled riders receive comparable mobility.

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