Promoting Transportation Equity Among Older, Homebound Adults through Technology-Enhanced Data Collection

This presentation reports on a study documenting the experiences of transportation disadvantage (TD) among environmental justice (EJ) populations in a low-density, urban community in the southern United States (US). For the purposes of this presentation, we focus on lower-income homebound adults, ages 55 and older. Traditional transportation research tends to overlook individuals who do not own cars and do not drive during peak commuter hours. The research team built an app to measure both actual and desired trips, among EJ populations, in addition to impact on quality of life and sense of social exclusion. Using an ecological momentary assessment design, participants used the app to record the number of planned, unplanned, and missed trips that they experienced each day, as well as trip importance and consequences for quality of life. A text-message feature allowed researchers to interview participants about the impact of TD on their ability to engage in the broader community. Only one pilot study participant (N=14, 50% African American) owned a car, and the majority used para-transit. Participants planned a total of 26 trips (23 rated as very important) and completed 19, the plurality (26%) to grocery stores. Qualitative analyses of the text-messaging interviews revealed key themes around constraint, isolation, and depression. One woman, in a wheelchair and who relies on para-transit, explained, “All trips must be scheduled a day in advance. That doesn't leave much wiggle room.” Another stated, “sometimes when you just want to go and get a hamburger or something, there's no transportation for you to go, so you just do without the hamburger.” Discussing the impact on her mental health, she said, “it gets very depressing when you don't have transportation.” Findings highlight the critical need for public transportation to connect EJ populations to resources and help them maintain a sense of autonomy.