As Portland has a lower fare for low income riders, Trimet and Portland State University worked to determine the impact on those communities’ public transportation use and general quality of life. Covid impacted the results of the survey. Surveys were advertised and administered online with a gift card for participating in the first two surveys. For the third random survey respondents were interviewed to gain more insight with a gift card for participating. Statistical analysis was used to analyze the data comparing the two surveys and low income riders and non low income riders. This allows for both change over time to be seen along with differences in response from low income riders and non low income riders. Here are the income thresholds for the reduced fare program:
One finding of the study is that during Covid low income riders became more reliant on carpooling and ridesharing likely due to Trimet service reductions associated with the operator shortage. As such riders suggested improving accessibility, increasing frequency, and increasing hours of operation. Non low income riders saw a decrease in Trimet ridership during the time of the second survey. Whereas low income riders saw no change in Trimet use. This is consistent with other research done on this topic nationwide. Riders use Trimet to get to many different places, from social activities to work to the gym. Low income riders were more likely to report psychological ill-being compared to non low income riders. The reduced fares were reported to help encourage transit use with less worry. As such the program has been useful for those that qualify. Here is a graph of Transit use for commuting between low income riders (LIR) and non low income riders (non-LIR):
The study can be found here:
Do Travel Costs Matter For Persons With Lower Incomes? (pdx.edu)
More information on the reduced fare program can be found here:
Reduced Fare for Riders Who Qualify Based on Income (trimet.org)
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