Public transit is an essential transportation service that ensures everyone’s right to travel and must be provided equitably to all users. To achieve this, many jurisdictions are conducting studies to establish equity in public transportation. However, most previous research has focused solely on quantitative aspects of public transit supply, such as stop locations and service intervals. Transit equity, however, should also be evaluated from the user’s perspective. This study defines equity by considering both supply and demand, and proposes a practical methodology for assessing horizontal and vertical transit equity using one-year smart card transaction data. Horizontal equity was assessed among users of the same group, while vertical equity examined differences between groups by class. The results revealed disparities in both dimensions: spatial equity differences exist even within the same user class, while vertical inequities are particularly evident in services for the elderly and disabled. A spatial correlation analysis was also conducted to explore the relationship between income and transit equity, indicating that low-income populations experience lower levels of equity. The findings from this study can provide valuable insights for public transit planning and serve as a reference for developing more equitable and inclusive transit systems for all.
Kim et al. (Fri,) studied this question.