DOI: 10.5061/dryad.g4f4qrg16
title: Survey and analysis of transportation affordable programs in California

description: While the United States has long supported basic needs of residents
 through social welfare programs, policies supporting affordable
 transportation for lower income individuals have been much more limited.
 Federal support for transportation includes subsidies to transit agencies
 and requirements to offer discounted fares to certain groups such as
 seniors and riders with disabilities, but income-qualified discounts are
 not required. This study explores opportunities for improving access to
 transportation affordable programs by gathering insights from existing
 income-qualified transportation benefits. Researchers compare examples of
 these programs to design features of existing non-transportation benefits
 to characterize opportunities for increased coordination and
 standardization. Finally, as the U.S. has seen an increase in recent years
 of Universal Basic Mobility (UBM) pilots that provide flexible
 transportation funds, the study incorporates insights from UBM evaluations
 to understand how UBM design features may be useful to agencies who are
 pursuing transportation affordable discounts and subsidies. The results
 suggest that there is significant potential for income-qualified
 transportation program enrollment both for agencies that do not currently
 offer these benefits and for agencies that already offer them, and that
 inter-organizational coordination among stakeholders may be essential in
 implementing successful transportation affordable discounts or subsidies.
 Additionally, the structure of income-qualified transportation benefits
 may vary depending on agency resources. Finally, with transportation
 equity as growing priority for California and its transit agencies,
 program administrators may opt for programs with easy access and
 enrollment rather than those that create barriers to participation through
 strenuous application and verification procedures.
description: <strong>Products of Research </strong>
 This study involved collecting data from a variety of publicly
 available sources including the National Transit Database, U.S. Census and
 American Community Survey Data, and transit agency websites. This study
 also involved collecting qualitative data through interviews with transit
 agency and state agency staff to gather information about transit discount
 and public benefits programs. <strong>Data Format
 and Content </strong> The data submitted for this
 study are contained in a comma-separated values spreadsheet which contains
 tables of transit agency data and fare and discount data as described
 above. To protect the identity of individuals interviewed for this study,
 interview transcripts are not included in the data repository, but the
 repository does contain a document listing the specific interview
 questions used. <strong>Data Access and Sharing
 </strong> Describe how the general public can
 access the data or if there are limitations to accessing the data. Include
 the DOI for the dataset, if applicable.
 <strong>Reuse and Redistribution </strong>
 The data submitted for this study are from publicly available
 sources including the National Transit Database, U.S. Census and American
 Community Survey, and transit agency websites. Data may be used and
 redistributed in accordance with any use guidelines associated with those
 sources.
description: # Survey and Analysis of Transportation Affordable Programs in California
 [https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.g4f4qrg16](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.g4f4qrg16) ## Description of the data and file structure ## Inventory and Analysis of Transit Fare Discount Programs ### Materials and Metrics for Existing Programs We conducted an online review of fare structures and programs for a wide range of transit agencies and geographies in California to develop an inventory of existing income-qualified discounts and other fare discounts across the state. This involved a broad search of transit agency and local government programs across major metropolitan areas and urban, suburban, and rural areas including: ·         Bay Area and Central Coast: San Francisco, Oakland, Santa Rosa, San Jose, Santa Cruz, Monterey ·         Central and Northern California: Bakersfield, Fresno, Stockton, Modesto, Sacramento, Sierras ·         Southern California: Los Angeles, Riverside, San Diego, Santa Barbara For each of these regions, we conducted an online search to identify agencies with publicly available details about the types of fares and discounts offered. While there are more than 100 transit agencies in California, many areas have a single larger agency dedicated to a major metropolitan area and a number of other agencies that serve a smaller geographic area in the region. We focused on reviewing large agencies as well as sampling at least one smaller agency per region to capture fare information for a variety of agency sizes and locations. We recorded instances of fare discount programs, including income-qualified programs and other eligibility-based discounts and subsidies such as senior and student fares, fares and support for persons with disabilities, veteran discounts, and reduced fares for Medicare recipients. We also used National Transit Database (NTD) data and U.S. Census data to summarize agency service population and estimate the number of residents in each service area who are living in poverty and may therefore qualify for and benefit from an income-qualified program. For agencies and areas with income-qualified programs, we conducted focused reviews of program materials to understand and compare factors such as eligibility criteria, eligibility verification, and discount or subsidy format and distribution. We used this information to provide context and develop questions for interviews with representatives of income-qualified transit fare discounts programs. ### Files and variables #### File: AgencyProfiles\_Clean.xlsx **Description:** Final Agency Profiles summarizing agency size and geographic area, along with transit fare discount status. ##### Variables * Metro Area: Area that the agency serves * Agency Name: Name of the transit agency * Modes: Modes of transportation offered by the agency * Service Area Population: Estimated population within the agency service area *  Unlinked Passenger Trips (2022): Estimated number of passenger trips taken with the transit agency based on 2022 National Transit Database * Service Area Square Miles: Estimated miles of service area based on 2023 National Transit Database data * Students/Youth: Whether agency offers a student/youth transit discount * Veterans/military: Whether agency offers a veteran/military transit discount * Low income: Whether agency offers a low income transit discount * % of Residents below Poverty Level (County or Region): Estimated percentage of households under poverty level based on 5-year 2019-2023 American Community Survey Data * Estimated Service Area Residents Below Poverty Level: Estimated total households under poverty level based on percentage of residents under poverty level and total service area population * Program (For Clipper START and LA Metro LIFE): Name of income-qualified program for which there is information about total eligible population (where applicable). Only available for agencies offering Clipper START and LA Metro LIFE. * Estimated eligible population (For Clipper START and LA Metro LIFE): Estimated eligible population for income-qualified program (where applicable). Only available for agencies offering Clipper START and LA Metro LIFE. * Estimated program enrollment (For Clipper START and LA Metro LIFE): Estimated total program enrollment for income-qualified programs for which there is information about total eligible population (where applicable). Only available for agencies offering Clipper START and LA Metro LIFE. * Percent of eligible population enrolled: Estimated percentage of eligible population enrolled in income-qualified program, for programs for which estimated eligible population is available (where applicable) #### File: AgencyProfiles\_Source.xlsx **Description:** Source of agency profile data including agency websites and geographic information. ##### Variables * Metro Area: Area that the agency serves * Transit Agency Name: Name of the transit agency * Areas of Jurisdiction: Description of transit agency operating area, based on transit agency website information * Geographic boundaries (Maps): Service area maps for transit agency or related services based on transit agency website information * Fare Media: Website: The agency website containing information on transit fares and discount programs * Accepts Clipper Card: Whether the agency accepts the Clipper Card (used in assessment of Clipper START program) ## Code/software Any CSV reader such as Microsoft Excel can be used to view these data. ## Access information Data was derived from the following sources: * US Census Data including American Community Survey 5-year data: [https://data.census.gov/](https://data.census.gov/) * National Transit Database data: [https://www.transit.dot.gov/ntd](https://www.transit.dot.gov/ntd) * Transit agency websites as listed in the CSV files