A new report from Mineta Transportation Institute (MTI), “Defining and Measuring Equity in Public Transportation,” aids Caltrans and other transit agencies in assessing transit service equity and helps evaluate potential solutions for past, existing, and future inequities.

Title VI is the federal policy that prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, or national origin in any program or activity that receives federal funds.

The Study

By researching federal laws and regulations related to Title IV, metropolitan planning organization (MPO) planning and policy documents, and academic papers related to equity measurement, the research team evaluated extant information on current equity measurement. From this information, the study applies a series of possible metrics to a test case in Santa Cruz County, Calif., with Santa Cruz County Metropolitan Transit District and compares results to those generated by Title VI metric requirements.

A review of the literature and transit practices found that Federal Transit Administration Title VI requirements have significant shortcomings for measuring transit equity. These are:

• They only look at race and income.

• They only address planned service change inequities and not existing inequities.

• They do not set standards for defining and measuring equity.

“Current Title VI title requirements fall short in several regards in addressing the needs of transportation-disadvantaged persons. They only address how different race and income groups would be affected by proposed transit fare and service changes and do not address remedying existing inequities, nor do they consider other characteristics of transportation-disadvantaged populations,” explain the study’s authors. “There are several other measures that could reasonably be considered as indicators of transportation-disadvantaged populations. They include low vehicle ownership, households without internet access, single-parent households headed by females with children, and persons who work at night where little or no transit service is running at that time.”

Room for Improvement

The extensive research and analyses found that current standard practice metrics (race and income) likely miss critical aspects of equity. Agencies can employ new techniques and measurements that capture overlooked metrics, especially those that correlate to traditionally underserved populations who may not have access to the transit services they require. Identifying and diagnosing inequities in transit service provision are key.

Traditional ways to seek public input, particularly public hearings, are typically least accessible to groups such as those with low incomes and other historically marginalized groups. Taking these seemingly small actions can make huge improvements in transportation equity for all, according to the study.