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Is it expensive to be poor? Public transport in Sweden

Bondemark, Anders LU ; Andersson, Henrik ; Wretstrand, Anders LU orcid and Brundell-Freij, Karin LU (2021) In Transportation 48(5). p.2709-2734
Abstract

One of the reasons to subsidise public transport is to improve the mobility of low-income groups by providing affordable public transport; however, the literature describes a situation whereby those with a low income are unable to afford the cheapest tickets per trip, i.e. travelcards, as they usually require a considerable up-front cost. In this study, we use a large dataset from the Swedish National Travel Survey to investigate whether, and if so how, income explains monthly travelcard possession among individuals for whom this would have been the least expensive option. We find a robust positive relationship between income and travelcard possession among low-income earners, indicating that those with a low income pay more to use... (More)

One of the reasons to subsidise public transport is to improve the mobility of low-income groups by providing affordable public transport; however, the literature describes a situation whereby those with a low income are unable to afford the cheapest tickets per trip, i.e. travelcards, as they usually require a considerable up-front cost. In this study, we use a large dataset from the Swedish National Travel Survey to investigate whether, and if so how, income explains monthly travelcard possession among individuals for whom this would have been the least expensive option. We find a robust positive relationship between income and travelcard possession among low-income earners, indicating that those with a low income pay more to use public transport than more affluent individuals. As the accessibility of low-income groups is an important motivation for public transport subsidies, the findings from this study have important policy implications.

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author
; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Fares, Income, Liquidity constraints, Public transport
in
Transportation
volume
48
issue
5
pages
2709 - 2734
publisher
Springer
external identifiers
  • scopus:85093986454
ISSN
0049-4488
DOI
10.1007/s11116-020-10145-5
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
88e90a13-34b8-485d-91b4-1cc55b2764aa
date added to LUP
2020-11-11 11:07:15
date last changed
2022-10-31 17:41:46
@article{88e90a13-34b8-485d-91b4-1cc55b2764aa,
  abstract     = {{<p>One of the reasons to subsidise public transport is to improve the mobility of low-income groups by providing affordable public transport; however, the literature describes a situation whereby those with a low income are unable to afford the cheapest tickets per trip, i.e. travelcards, as they usually require a considerable up-front cost. In this study, we use a large dataset from the Swedish National Travel Survey to investigate whether, and if so how, income explains monthly travelcard possession among individuals for whom this would have been the least expensive option. We find a robust positive relationship between income and travelcard possession among low-income earners, indicating that those with a low income pay more to use public transport than more affluent individuals. As the accessibility of low-income groups is an important motivation for public transport subsidies, the findings from this study have important policy implications.</p>}},
  author       = {{Bondemark, Anders and Andersson, Henrik and Wretstrand, Anders and Brundell-Freij, Karin}},
  issn         = {{0049-4488}},
  keywords     = {{Fares; Income; Liquidity constraints; Public transport}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{10}},
  number       = {{5}},
  pages        = {{2709--2734}},
  publisher    = {{Springer}},
  series       = {{Transportation}},
  title        = {{Is it expensive to be poor? Public transport in Sweden}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11116-020-10145-5}},
  doi          = {{10.1007/s11116-020-10145-5}},
  volume       = {{48}},
  year         = {{2021}},
}