IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/jotrge/v72y2018icp64-75.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

A comparative analysis of the challenges in measuring transit equity: definitions, interpretations, and limitations

Author

Listed:
  • Carleton, Phillip R.
  • Porter, J. David

Abstract

In the study of equity in public transit service distribution to disadvantaged groups, there is often a desire for a concise and relatable quantitative measure of equity. This ambition has often pushed researchers to develop methods for combining (or aggregating) various dimensions of disadvantage into a single, multi-faceted metric of potential transit demand (or need) among the disadvantaged population. These metrics then enable a somewhat straightforward analysis of the transit needs of the aggregate disadvantaged population to the transit service supplied in order to arrive at a measure of transit equity.

Suggested Citation

  • Carleton, Phillip R. & Porter, J. David, 2018. "A comparative analysis of the challenges in measuring transit equity: definitions, interpretations, and limitations," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 72(C), pages 64-75.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jotrge:v:72:y:2018:i:c:p:64-75
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jtrangeo.2018.08.012
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0966692317308517
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.jtrangeo.2018.08.012?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Walker, Jarrett, 2008. "Purpose-driven public transport: creating a clear conversation about public transport goals," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 16(6), pages 436-442.
    2. Karner, Alex & Niemeier, Deb, 2013. "Civil rights guidance and equity analysis methods for regional transportation plans: a critical review of literature and practice," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 33(C), pages 126-134.
    3. M Truelove, 1993. "Measurement of Spatial Equity," Environment and Planning C, , vol. 11(1), pages 19-34, March.
    4. Rogalsky, Jennifer, 2010. "The working poor and what GIS reveals about the possibilities of public transit," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 18(2), pages 226-237.
    5. Welch, Timothy F. & Mishra, Sabyasachee, 2013. "A measure of equity for public transit connectivity," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 33(C), pages 29-41.
    6. Kevin Manaugh & Ahmed El- Geneidy, 2012. "Who benefits from new transportation infrastructure? Using accessibility measures to evaluate social equity in public transport provision," Chapters, in: Karst T. Geurs & Kevin J. Krizek & Aura Reggiani (ed.), Accessibility Analysis and Transport Planning, chapter 12, pages 211-227, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    7. El-Geneidy, Ahmed & Levinson, David & Diab, Ehab & Boisjoly, Genevieve & Verbich, David & Loong, Charis, 2016. "The cost of equity: Assessing transit accessibility and social disparity using total travel cost," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 91(C), pages 302-316.
    8. Foth, Nicole & Manaugh, Kevin & El-Geneidy, Ahmed M., 2013. "Towards equitable transit: examining transit accessibility and social need in Toronto, Canada, 1996–2006," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 29(C), pages 1-10.
    9. Kaplan, Sigal & Popoks, Dmitrijs & Prato, Carlo Giacomo & Ceder, Avishai (Avi), 2014. "Using connectivity for measuring equity in transit provision," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 37(C), pages 82-92.
    10. Karner, Alex, 2018. "Assessing public transit service equity using route-level accessibility measures and public data," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 67(C), pages 24-32.
    11. Dobbs, Lynn, 2005. "Wedded to the car: women, employment and the importance of private transport," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 12(3), pages 266-278, May.
    12. Delbosc, Alexa & Currie, Graham, 2011. "The spatial context of transport disadvantage, social exclusion and well-being," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 19(6), pages 1130-1137.
    13. Jaramillo, Ciro & Lizárraga, Carmen & Grindlay, Alejandro Luis, 2012. "Spatial disparity in transport social needs and public transport provision in Santiago de Cali (Colombia)," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 24(C), pages 340-357.
    14. Currie, Graham, 2010. "Quantifying spatial gaps in public transport supply based on social needs," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 18(1), pages 31-41.
    15. Ricciardi, Anthony Michael & Xia, Jianhong(Cecilia) & Currie, Graham, 2015. "Exploring public transport equity between separate disadvantaged cohorts: a case study in Perth, Australia," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 43(C), pages 111-122.
    16. repec:cdl:uctcwp:qt2bm7b38n is not listed on IDEAS
    17. van Wee, Bert, 2016. "Accessible accessibility research challenges," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 51(C), pages 9-16.
    18. Delbosc, Alexa & Currie, Graham, 2011. "Using Lorenz curves to assess public transport equity," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 19(6), pages 1252-1259.
    19. Pyrialakou, V. Dimitra & Gkritza, Konstantina & Fricker, Jon D., 2016. "Accessibility, mobility, and realized travel behavior: Assessing transport disadvantage from a policy perspective," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 51(C), pages 252-269.
    20. Rowangould, Dana & Karner, Alex & London, Jonathan, 2016. "Identifying environmental justice communities for transportation analysis," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 88(C), pages 151-162.
    21. Murray, Alan T., 2001. "Strategic analysis of public transport coverage," Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 35(3), pages 175-188, September.
    22. Heisz, Andrew & Schellenberg, Grant, 2004. "Public Transit Use Among Immigrants," Analytical Studies Branch Research Paper Series 2004224e, Statistics Canada, Analytical Studies Branch.
    23. Welch, Timothy F., 2013. "Equity in transport: The distribution of transit access and connectivity among affordable housing units," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 30(C), pages 283-293.
    24. Cynthia Jacques & Kevin Manaugh & Ahmed El-Geneidy, 2013. "Rescuing the captive [mode] user: an alternative approach to transport market segmentation," Transportation, Springer, vol. 40(3), pages 625-645, May.
    25. Martens, Karel & Golub, Aaron & Robinson, Glenn, 2012. "A justice-theoretic approach to the distribution of transportation benefits: Implications for transportation planning practice in the United States," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 46(4), pages 684-695.
    26. Fransen, Koos & Neutens, Tijs & Farber, Steven & De Maeyer, Philippe & Deruyter, Greet & Witlox, Frank, 2015. "Identifying public transport gaps using time-dependent accessibility levels," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 48(C), pages 176-187.
    27. Md. Kamruzzaman & Tan Yigitcanlar & Jay Yang & Mohd Afzan Mohamed, 2016. "Measures of Transport-Related Social Exclusion: A Critical Review of the Literature," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 8(7), pages 1-30, July.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Liu, Chengliang & Duan, Dezhong, 2020. "Spatial inequality of bus transit dependence on urban streets and its relationships with socioeconomic intensities: A tale of two megacities in China," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 86(C).
    2. Ben-Elia, Eran & Benenson, Itzhak, 2019. "A spatially-explicit method for analyzing the equity of transit commuters' accessibility," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 120(C), pages 31-42.
    3. Xiaoshu Cao & Huiling Chen & Feiwen Liang & Wulin Wang, 2018. "Measurement and Spatial Differentiation Characteristics of Transit Equity: A Case Study of Guangzhou, China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(4), pages 1-17, April.
    4. Pyrialakou, V. Dimitra & Gkritza, Konstantina & Fricker, Jon D., 2016. "Accessibility, mobility, and realized travel behavior: Assessing transport disadvantage from a policy perspective," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 51(C), pages 252-269.
    5. Sharma, Ishant & Mishra, Sabyasachee & Golias, Mihalis M. & Welch, Timothy F. & Cherry, Christopher R., 2020. "Equity of transit connectivity in Tennessee cities," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 86(C).
    6. Shafiq, Mudassar & Lobo, António & Couto, António, 2024. "Equity of access to rail services by complementary motorized and active modes," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 121(C).
    7. Jun Yang & Andong Guo & Xueming Li & Tai Huang, 2018. "Study of the Impact of a High-Speed Railway Opening on China’s Accessibility Pattern and Spatial Equality," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(8), pages 1-13, August.
    8. Weckström, Christoffer & Kujala, Rainer & Mladenović, Miloš N. & Saramäki, Jari, 2019. "Assessment of large-scale transitions in public transport networks using open timetable data: case of Helsinki metro extension," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 79(C), pages 1-1.
    9. Xia, Jianhong(Cecilia) & Nesbitt, Joshua & Daley, Rebekah & Najnin, Arfanara & Litman, Todd & Tiwari, Surya Prasad, 2016. "A multi-dimensional view of transport-related social exclusion: A comparative study of Greater Perth and Sydney," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 94(C), pages 205-221.
    10. Chen, Zhiwei & Guo, Yujie & Stuart, Amy L. & Zhang, Yu & Li, Xiaopeng, 2019. "Exploring the equity performance of bike-sharing systems with disaggregated data: A story of southern Tampa," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 130(C), pages 529-545.
    11. Karner, Alex, 2018. "Assessing public transit service equity using route-level accessibility measures and public data," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 67(C), pages 24-32.
    12. Alex Karner & Rafael H. M. Pereira & Steven Farber, 2025. "Advances and pitfalls in measuring transportation equity," Transportation, Springer, vol. 52(4), pages 1399-1427, August.
    13. Wang, Bangjuan & Liu, Chengliang & Zhang, Hong, 2022. "Where are equity and service effectiveness? A tale from public transport in Shanghai," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 98(C).
    14. Hussain, Etikaf & Bhaskar, Ashish & Chung, Edward, 2021. "A novel origin destination based transit supply index: Exploiting the opportunities with big transit data," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 93(C).
    15. Aravind, Avani & Venthuruthiyil, Suvin P. & Mishra, Sabyasachee, 2024. "Equity and accessibility assessment of fixed route transit systems integrated with on-demand feeder services," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 121(C).
    16. Allen, Jeff & Farber, Steven, 2019. "Sizing up transport poverty: A national scale accounting of low-income households suffering from inaccessibility in Canada, and what to do about it," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 74(C), pages 214-223.
    17. Mwesigwa, Leonard & Yin, Zehui & Farber, Steven, 2024. "Evaluating the level of access and equity of the bus rapid transit (BRT) system: The case of Dar-Es-Salaam, Tanzania," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 119(C).
    18. Cascetta, Ennio & Cartenì, Armando & Henke, Ilaria & Pagliara, Francesca, 2020. "Economic growth, transport accessibility and regional equity impacts of high-speed railways in Italy: ten years ex post evaluation and future perspectives," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 139(C), pages 412-428.
    19. Md. Kamruzzaman & Tan Yigitcanlar & Jay Yang & Mohd Afzan Mohamed, 2016. "Measures of Transport-Related Social Exclusion: A Critical Review of the Literature," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 8(7), pages 1-30, July.
    20. Camporeale, Rosalia & Caggiani, Leonardo & Ottomanelli, Michele, 2019. "Modeling horizontal and vertical equity in the public transport design problem: A case study," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 125(C), pages 184-206.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:jotrge:v:72:y:2018:i:c:p:64-75. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.journals.elsevier.com/journal-of-transport-geography .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.