The Effects of Income on Mobility

The most recent survey of Americans living in urban areas and their personal transportation habits confirms that car use increases with income. Nevertheless, while nearly 30 percent of households with annual incomes less than $20,000 do not own cars, more than 70 percent own at least one car. For households with incomes greater than $20,000, 95 percent or more have at least one car.⁷⁰

On a daily basis, low-income people in urban areas travel only half the distance and make fewer trips than people with higher incomes.⁷¹ This may mean that urban public transit systems do not allow low-income people to meet all of their transportation needs, including travel to destinations that many of us take for granted, such as medical, educational, training, shopping, and recreational facilities.⁷²

The lower number of trips taken by low-income people also reflects to some extent higher rates of retirement and unemployment. The need for transportation to work has been eliminated.

Some participants in a focus group on driving were quite concerned about the costs of owning and operating a car, but others saw driving as a relatively inexpensive way to travel.⁷³ However, once they are living on their retirement income, they may choose not to drive as much, because they cannot afford to pay for gas. Other participants noted that driving and maintaining a car means independence and freedom, competence and control, and even safety (since public transportation options are often thought to be less safe). "If I had a choice between my car and eating steak every day," said one focus group member in a sound clip, "I'd eat soup."⁷⁴

⁷⁰ Pucher, J., and Renne, J. (2003) "Socioeconomics of urban travel: evidence from the 2001 NHTS." Article to be published in Transportation Quarterly 57(3):15. Retrieved from Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy, Rutgers University on the World Wide Web: http://policy.rutgers.edu/papers/14.pdf.

⁷¹ Ibid., p. 12.

⁷² Ibid., p. 13.

⁷³ TCRP Report 82, p. 61.

⁷⁴ Campbell, S. (2003) "The Driving Decision: A Symposium on Health, Safety and the Older Drive." Retrieved from MIT AgeLab on the World Wide Web: www.mit.edu/afs/athena/dept/agelab/driving/index.html. Results can be found at The Hartford on the World Wide Web: www.thehartford.com/alzheimers/monitoring_driving.html.