Equity Impacts of Transit Fare Proposals: A Case Study of AC Transit

Faced with budget shortfalls, Oakland’s AC Transit proposed five alternative fare structures combining base fare hikes or reductions, eliminating free transfers, and discontinuing passes. Using onboard survey data, we analyzed impacts of proposals on groups of riders, evaluated equity impacts, and estimated potential fare revenues. Policies that eliminated passes or transfers produced dramatically unequal impacts on lower income riders, youth, and minorities. Flat fares were least equitable even with base fare reductions because less affluent riders made more frequent trips and transfers than the more affluent. The most equitable and profitable proposals adjusted existing fare structures

Modeling NO and CO emissions in lean natural gas spark ignition engines

Thesis (M.S.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, 1996.Includes bibliographical references (p. 101-108).by Aaron D. Golub.M.S

Data Files: Bi-Objective Optimization for Battery Electric Bus Deployment Considering Cost and Environmental Equity

This data supports the research project Bi-objective Optimization for Battery Electric Bus Deployment Considering Cost and Environmental Equity and a final report published on NITC’s website. Dataset collected through multiple sources and organized into different formats including CSV format, JSON format, shapefile and code repository. Context: The research project develops a bi-objective model that aims to help transit agencies to optimally deploy BEB while considering both capital investment and environmental equity. The unique spatio-temporal characteristic of BEB system, charging limitations (on-route and in-depot charging), and operational constraints are also considered and incorporated into the model

Assessing the Barriers to Equity in Smart Mobility Systems: A Case Study of Portland, Oregon

There is an active debate about the potential costs and benefits of emerging “smart mobility” systems, especially in how they will serve communities already facing transportation challenges. This paper describes the results of an assessment of these equity issues in the context of lower-income areas of Portland, Oregon, based on a mixture of quantitative and qualitative research. The study found that by lowering costs and improving service for public transit, ridesharing and active transportation, smart mobility systems could address many of the needs of transportation disadvantaged communities. Similar to those found in other case studies, significant barriers prevent smart mobility technologies from benefiting all communities. For example, lower income survey respondents and respondents of color had significantly lower access to the “smart mobility ecosystem” including bank accounts and credit cards, they rely more heavily on paying cash for transit tickets, had lower access to internet at home and work, and were more likely to reduce data use or cancel cell plans because of cost or data restrictions. Respondents were also concerned about information security, as the impacts of loss or theft, especially identity theft can be devastating for lower-income residents. Since integrating payment systems and relying on internet and cell data for mobile applications is a core feature of smart mobility ecosystem, these disparities are significant barriers to the equitable transition to smart mobility. Policy recommendations to address barriers include expanding free and public WiFi, better real-time transit information, improved training, and language translation for phone applications, among other things

Equity and Exclusion Issues in Cashless fare payment systems for public transportation

Many transit agencies in the United States plan to automate their fare collection and limit–or even eliminate–the use of cash fares, with the goals of expediting boarding, collecting data, and lowering costs. Yet about 10% of US adults lack a bank account or credit card, and many rely on restrictive cellphone data plans or do not have access to the internet or a smartphone. These riders will find it difficult to access transit in the future. This paper examines transit users’ experiences with fare technologies using a survey of riders in three cities. Our analysis reveals which riders are most at risk of being excluded, and how mitigation strategies could work to overcome barriers to cash-less transit. We find that a significant number of riders (∼30%) currently use cash on-board buses. If on-board cash fares were to be removed, a significant share of these riders appear able to switch to other options, though many imagine they will continue to use cash in some way (e.g. at retail or ticket vending machines); a small number claim they would no longer be able to ride transit if on-board cash fares were removed. Older and lower-income riders are more at risk of exclusion as they often lack access to smartphones or the internet. A significant number rely on less dependable internet sources, such as public Wi-Fi, potentially inhibiting some from using smartphone and internet-based payment systems. Findings suggest approaches to reduce the number of riders excluded from transit during fare technology adoption

Making accessibility analyses accessible: A tool to facilitate the public review of the effects of regional transportation plans on accessibility

JTLU vol. 6 no. 3, pp. 17-28 (2013)The regional transportation planning process in the United States has not been easily opened to public oversight even after strengthened requirements for public participation and civil rights considerations. In the effort to improve the public review of regional transportation plans, this paper describes the construction of a proof-of concept web-based tool designed to analyze the effects of regional transportation plans on accessibility to jobs and other essential destinations. The tool allows the user to analyze disparities in accessibility outcomes by demographic group, specifically income and race, as required by civil rights-related planning directives. The tool makes cumulative-opportunity measures of the number of essential destinations reachable within certain times by public transit and automobile. The tool is constructed to analyze the San Francisco Bay Area’s 2005 regional transportation plan. Users can choose to make measures for a particular neighborhood or for all neighborhoods in the region with certain demographic characteristics. Two example analyses are shown with an interpretation and discussion of calculator outputs

Do Travel Costs Matter For Persons With Lower Incomes? Using Psychological and Social Equity Perspectives to Evaluate the Effects of a Low-Income Transit Fare Program on Low-Income Riders

Objective: Access to transit can deliver a host of benefits to the riders and to the region. Previous research aiming to study these benefits has primarily relied on data collected from the opening of new routes or transit systems and focused on the general population. Little is known how low-income riders (LIR) react and benefit in response to when the cost barrier to access to transit is removed. With an intention to increase ridership while addressing the needs of transit-dependent riders in the region, TriMet (Portland, OR) expanded the Honored Citizens Program (HCP) in July 2018 to include low-income riders (LIR). Methods: In pre-test, post-test design, TriMet riders took two self-reported surveys, the first after recently enrolling or renewing their enrollment in HCP to examine changes in behavior, such as their usage in modes of transportation, especially public transit; as well as changes in ill-being; access to schooling- and employment-related opportunities; and perceptions of TriMet as an organization. Riders of other status (i.e., Non-LIRs) served as a comparison group. The final sample with matching surveys was 98 LIR and 20 others, for a total of 118 riders over the age of 18. Twenty LIR were also interviewed for supplementary qualitative data. Descriptive statistics, mixed ANOVA, repeated measures and two-sample t-tests were conducted. Results: There was evidence for an interaction between groups and timepoints for frequency of public transit use such that NonLIR demonstrated a significant decrease in use across timepoints but LIR did not. LIR reported higher levels of walking, carpooling or ridesharing, and psychological ill-being than the Non-LIR groups. Non-LIR reported higher levels of sense of community than LIR. Conclusion: The impact of COVID-19 during the data collection stage interfered with this project’s capacity to detect meaningful changes of rider experiences over time. Despite this, LIR reported no significant changes (i.e., constant usage) in public transit use, suggesting a larger dependency than non-LIR. Findings suggested the HCP positively adds to riders’ lives in various ways including professional and recreational opportunities and physical and mental health, which is most apparent from qualitative interviews

How Low-Income Riders Are Affected by Low-Cost Transit Fare Programs

69A3551747128, NITC-1360Access to transit can deliver a host of benefits to the riders and to the region. Previous research aiming to study these benefits has primarily relied on data collected from the opening of new routes or transit systems and focused on the general population. Little is known how low-income riders (LIR) react and benefit in response to when the cost barrier to access to transit is removed. With an intention to increase ridership while addressing the needs of transit-dependent riders in the region, TriMet (Portland, OR) expanded the Honored Citizens Program (HCP) in July 2018 to include low-income riders (LIR)

Widespread genetic heterogeneity in multiple myeloma: implications for targeted therapy.

We performed massively parallel sequencing of paired tumor/normal samples from 203 multiple myeloma (MM) patients and identified significantly mutated genes and copy number alterations and discovered putative tumor suppressor genes by determining homozygous deletions and loss of heterozygosity. We observed frequent mutations in KRAS (particularly in previously treated patients), NRAS, BRAF, FAM46C, TP53, and DIS3 (particularly in nonhyperdiploid MM). Mutations were often present in subclonal populations, and multiple mutations within the same pathway (e.g., KRAS, NRAS, and BRAF) were observed in the same patient. In vitro modeling predicts only partial treatment efficacy of targeting subclonal mutations, and even growth promotion of nonmutated subclones in some cases. These results emphasize the importance of heterogeneity analysis for treatment decisions