Transit = Opportunity presentation

8/20/2019 Transit = Opportunity presentation

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Transit = OpportunityThe Critical Role of Public Transit

September 15, 2015


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Outline

• What is the problem?• Why is transit relevant to issues of poverty & opportunity?

• How does public transit affect opportunity?

• What does the research show?

• What more can transit do to improve access to opportunities?


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What is the problem?

% of People below thePoverty Level

% of Households withoutan automobile

City of Savannah 25.9% 7.9%

Chatham County 19.1% 12.9%

In order to escape poverty

you must be able to access opportunity…


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Why is it relevant?

• Transportation is a nearly universal requirement for all jobs – Employers expect staff to be able to show up on time get to work.

• Infrastructure currently supports one mode of transportation

above all others: private automobile.

– Walking, biking, and transit make up less than 10% of commuters inChatham County.

• Low income individuals and families pay a larger share of their

income for transportation – and face difficult choices about

how to use scarce resources.


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“Put simply, access to affordable

commuting options is a key factor

in the economic mobility of the

working poor.”

(Roberto, Commuting toOpportunity , 2008)

Graphic Sources

A Heavy Load: The Combined Housing and Transportation Burdens of Working Families, Lipman, Center for Housing Policy (2006)

http://money.cnn.com/2015/04/23/news/economy/poor-spending/

http://money.cnn.com/2015/04/23/news/economy/poor-spending/http://money.cnn.com/2015/04/23/news/economy/poor-spending/http://money.cnn.com/2015/04/23/news/economy/poor-spending/http://money.cnn.com/2015/04/23/news/economy/poor-spending/http://money.cnn.com/2015/04/23/news/economy/poor-spending/http://money.cnn.com/2015/04/23/news/economy/poor-spending/http://money.cnn.com/2015/04/23/news/economy/poor-spending/http://money.cnn.com/2015/04/23/news/economy/poor-spending/http://money.cnn.com/2015/04/23/news/economy/poor-spending/http://money.cnn.com/2015/04/23/news/economy/poor-spending/http://money.cnn.com/2015/04/23/news/economy/poor-spending/http://money.cnn.com/2015/04/23/news/economy/poor-spending/http://money.cnn.com/2015/04/23/news/economy/poor-spending/http://money.cnn.com/2015/04/23/news/economy/poor-spending/


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Increase Opportunities for Low Income Families

• Location Matters – Employment centers without transit service simply prevent those who

most need jobs from getting them.

• Limited Transit = Limited Opportunities

– Limiting transit service limits opportunities for those seeking work.• Shorter Commute Time = More Stable Communities

– Time spent traveling to and from work cannot be spent with family,

community, education, or any other activity.


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How does Public Transit Affect Access to Opportunity?

• Location of Transit Stops – Does the service take me

where the jobs are?

• Frequency of Service

– When my plans change, can Istill use transit?

• Span of Service

– Can I use transit for early

morning and late night shifts?

• Speed of Travel – Does the transit provider

value my time?

• Reliability

– Can I count on transit to bethere when I expect it?

• Cost / Fare

– How much will I save

compared to my options?


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Where do jobs and transit line up in our county?

LHED, 2013


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Don’t take my word for it…

• Commute Time Matters – “Equality of Opportunity study

– Found that Commuting Time is the strongest indicator of a low income

family’s chances of escaping poverty. Shorter commute times were

associated with a higher probability of improved economic situation.

This association was stronger than crime, test scores, or two-parentfamilies. This study tracked over 5 million people who moved during

the 1980s and 1990s and controlled a variety of factors. (NY Times,

5/7/2015, “Transportation Emerges as Crucial to Escaping Poverty”,

Mikayla Bouchard)


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• High Cost of Driving – Commuting to Opportunity study

– Driving to work is the most expensive commuting option for all

workers and also imparts the highest cost burden for workers. Among

the working poor, those who drive to work have a higher cost burden

of commuting (8.4 %) than the working poor who use public transit(5.8 %). Both figures exceed the cost burden for other workers who

drive (4.5 % of income) or take public transit (2.9 % of income).

(Roberto, Commuting to Opportunity , Brookings Institution -

Metropolitan Policy Program, 2008).


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• Benefits to Employers – Employee Turnover study

– Recent research shows that access to fixed route bus transit confers

benefits to low income workers and to the companies that hire them

by reducing turnover. When employers can retain staff, they avoid

costs for training and human resources – and transit service was foundto be a significant indicator of increased employee retention (Faulk &

Hicks, “The impact of bus transit on employee turnover: evidence

from quasi-experimental samples” Urban Studies. 2015)


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What Can CAT Do?

• Ensure that CAT riders can access all of our area’s employmentdestinations

• Help local employers understand the value of transit services

to their staff and the community

• Respond to new funding initiatives that encourage theexpansion of opportunity by using transit

– Partnership for Sustainable Communities

– Ladders of Opportunity

Transit = Opportunity presentation

Documents

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