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...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Elsevier
2022-09-01
|
| Series: | Transportation Research Interdisciplinary Perspectives |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590198222000902 |
| _version_ | 1811261434002145280 |
|---|---|
| author | Aaron Golub Anne Brown Candace Brakewood John MacArthur Sangwan Lee Abubakr Ziedan |
| author_facet | Aaron Golub Anne Brown Candace Brakewood John MacArthur Sangwan Lee Abubakr Ziedan |
| author_sort | Aaron Golub |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | 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. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-12T19:04:14Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-648ca84d77fe40b7ba629b3fe750f0a2 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2590-1982 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-12T19:04:14Z |
| publishDate | 2022-09-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Transportation Research Interdisciplinary Perspectives |
| spelling | doaj.art-648ca84d77fe40b7ba629b3fe750f0a22022-12-22T03:20:04ZengElsevierTransportation Research Interdisciplinary Perspectives2590-19822022-09-0115100628Equity and exclusion issues in cashless fare payment systems for public transportationAaron Golub0Anne Brown1Candace Brakewood2John MacArthur3Sangwan Lee4Abubakr Ziedan5School of Urban Studies and Planning, Portland State University, 506 SW Mill Street, 350B Urban Center, Portland, OR 97201, USA; Corresponding author.School of Planning, Public Policy, and Management, University of Oregon, USACivil & Environmental Engineering, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, USATransportation Research and Education Center, Portland State University, USASchool of Urban Studies and Planning, Portland State University, 506 SW Mill Street, 350B Urban Center, Portland, OR 97201, USACivil & Environmental Engineering, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, USAMany 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.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590198222000902Fare payment technologyEquityDigital divideBanking divideSmartphones |
| spellingShingle | Aaron Golub Anne Brown Candace Brakewood John MacArthur Sangwan Lee Abubakr Ziedan Equity and exclusion issues in cashless fare payment systems for public transportation Transportation Research Interdisciplinary Perspectives Fare payment technology Equity Digital divide Banking divide Smartphones |
| title | Equity and exclusion issues in cashless fare payment systems for public transportation |
| title_full | Equity and exclusion issues in cashless fare payment systems for public transportation |
| title_fullStr | Equity and exclusion issues in cashless fare payment systems for public transportation |
| title_full_unstemmed | Equity and exclusion issues in cashless fare payment systems for public transportation |
| title_short | Equity and exclusion issues in cashless fare payment systems for public transportation |
| title_sort | equity and exclusion issues in cashless fare payment systems for public transportation |
| topic | Fare payment technology Equity Digital divide Banking divide Smartphones |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590198222000902 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT aarongolub equityandexclusionissuesincashlessfarepaymentsystemsforpublictransportation AT annebrown equityandexclusionissuesincashlessfarepaymentsystemsforpublictransportation AT candacebrakewood equityandexclusionissuesincashlessfarepaymentsystemsforpublictransportation AT johnmacarthur equityandexclusionissuesincashlessfarepaymentsystemsforpublictransportation AT sangwanlee equityandexclusionissuesincashlessfarepaymentsystemsforpublictransportation AT abubakrziedan equityandexclusionissuesincashlessfarepaymentsystemsforpublictransportation |