Evaluation of a Large Scale Universal Basic Mobility Wallet in South Los Angeles

Project Description

A lack of reliable and affordable transportation exacerbates socioeconomic inequities for low-income communities, especially people of color (Blumenberg and Pierce, 2014; Caywood and Roy, 2018). Mobility wallets are a relatively new approach to addressing financial barriers to travel among the transport-disadvantaged. Individuals are provided with funds to pay for a range of mobility options, including transit and shared modes, at their discretion.

Currently, there are five implemented mobility wallet programs/pilots in the US; however, only two pilots (Portland and Sacramento) specifically recruit low-income households for their program. In addition, these programs are all small (150-500 members), and only one has published a peer-review survey analysis (Tan et al., 2021).

Moreover, three new equity-focused mobility wallet pilots will be implemented in Los Angeles (LA), Stockton, and Pittsburg in the next nine months. LA’s Universal Basic Mobility Pilot (MW) is the most notable of these planned pilots, with at least 5,000 participants from the social justice community of South LA and monthly stipends that range from $24 to $150 loaded onto the local transit TAP card. The transit agency (LA Metro) has recruited local electric carshare, ride-hail, bikeshare, and scooter share services programs to accept the TAP card as payment.