Public Transportation Among Immigrants

The car, immigrants and poverty: implications for immigrant earnings and job access is a research study that attempts to quantify how much low-income and foreign born populations could gain from owning a vehicle. This study used data provided from the Los Angeles Family and Neighborhood Survey (LAFANS) which was a study of family in Los Angeles County. Six thousand residents from thirty-five hundred households were interviewed in january 20026 . From the analysis, one striking piece of data found is that public transportation is more important for foreign born than for native born, but more surprisingly that for foreign born Hispanic it is eight times more important2 . Foreign born populations are typically at a disadvantage economically so …show more content…
There is a big difference between those taking public transportation and those that do not. When looking at the population taking public transportation, Hispanic’s compose of 71% of this population, while White (non-Hispanic) compose only 11%, and Black only 9%. The huge disparity of Hispanic reliance on public transportation and the median earning for those that take public transportation, leads one to believe that public transportation is causing Hispanics in Los Angeles to stay at the low socioeconomic status rather than saving them money. This research and data collected only took into consideration commuter’s survey response to be included in the data. If the survey had been expanded into the general region, there is a very good chance that the median earnings would lower even more, since most of the top earning members of society fail to use public transportation. The survey limited itself to the general population of commuters only, and it would be interesting to see if changes due to including the general public would be considerably change the …show more content…
A case study conducted in Boulder, Colorado regarding the reliability of the bus routes, and the hidden cost associated to commuters. Automatic Vehicle Locator (AVL) technology was used to determine whether a bus route was on time or late. The study set a specific timeframe where the bus route could be late or early and be considered on time. The study developed an equation and did the math for a person earning the minimum wage in Boulder, Colorado. The unreliability of a bus route to arrive on time was causing commuters to almost $700 of hidden additional costs per year9 . Considering a one-way travel fare costs about $2.60, this additional $700 are more than enough to pay for more than a year worth of one-way fares. The minimum wage in Los Angeles is higher than in Boulder, so we can predict a higher scaled up value would be found in Los Angeles, but would also depend on the reliability of Los Angeles’ Metro lines. This study showed an example of how those taking public transportation is costing users more than they could ever imagine. This study incorporated only a limited amount of factors into their time-value equation. Many more factors can be included in these will alter the hidden costs associated with taking public transportation. AVL technology is a good start to monitor and evaluate bus routes arrival performance,