Disability, zero-vehicle households, and commuting modes

Introduction: People with disabilities may face greater transport disadvantage than people without disabilities, but national estimates linking disability to carless households and commuting modes are scarce. Methods: Cross-sectional analysis of the 2024 American Community Survey 1-year Public Use Microdata Sample. The prevalence of living in zero-vehicle households among adults and of commuting by public transport, walking and taxi or ride-hailing among workers was estimated by disability status, with replicate-weight prevalence ratios and 95% confidence intervals. Results: Among 2,612,172 adults aged 18 years and over, 0.2% had a disability. Adults with disabilities were more likely to live in zero-vehicle households (0.1% vs 0.1%; PR = 2.45; 95% CI 2.41-2.48). Among commuters, walking (3.1% vs 2.3%; PR = 1.31; 95% CI 1.25-1.38) and taxi or ride-hailing (0.9% vs 0.4%; PR = 2.08; 95% CI 1.84-2.31) were more common with disability, while public transport use (4.4% vs 4.2%) and commute duration were similar. Conclusions: People with disabilities were more than twice as likely to live in zero-vehicle households and more dependent on walking and taxi or ride-hailing services to commute, supporting policies that prioritize walkable environments, accessible transit and affordable ride services.