Public Transport Accessibility Equity Across 139 French Areas: A Comprehensive Assessment[Équité de l'accessibilité en transports collectifs dans 139 territoires : une évaluation à grande échelle]

The distribution of accessibility is a key metric of transport equity. An equitable system would provide better public transport accessibility to the poorest. While several studies have evaluated accessibility distribution, spatial disturbances in the data are often overlooked, and they rely on samples with limited diversity. This has led authors to call for the use of spatial statistics and multi-city samples to enhance the literature with more precise and systematic insights. This research tests whether poorer areas benefit from better job accessibility. We develop a high-resolution accessibility index across 139 areas and analyze it using spatial econometrics models. This study is the first to assess accessibility distribution across such an exhaustive sample. Our results show that poverty zones have accessibility levels comparable to those in other areas - a pattern that falls short of equity goals. These findings call for stronger policy interventions to improve accessibility in disadvantaged neighborhoods.