Abstract
Investments in public transit infrastructure in Latin America and the Caribbean often aim to reduce spatial and social inequalities by improving accessibility to jobs and other opportunities for vulnerable populations. One of the central goals of Lima’s Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project was to connect low-income populations living in the peripheries to jobs in the city center, a policy objective that has not yet been evaluated. Building on secondary datasets of employment, household socio-demographics and origin–destination surveys before and after the BRT began operations, this paper examines the contribution of Lima’s BRT system to accessibility to employment in the city, particularly for low-income public transit users. We estimated the effects on potential accessibility to employment, comparing impacts on lower versus higher income populations, and assessed the changes in location-based accessibility to employment before (2004) and after implementation (2012) for treatment and comparison groups. We found that the BRT line reduced travel times for commuters to reach jobs, in comparison with traditional public transport in the city. However, the coverage of the BRT declines in areas with high concentrations of poor populations, limiting the equitability of accessibility improvements. The analysis by socioeconomic sub-groups found positive effects of the BRT system on accessibility for the higher income areas. Relative to the control group, accessibility increased in the 10-km boundary area of the BRT by 0.01, a seven percent increase relative to the treatment baseline accessibility index in the higher socioeconomic (SES) areas of the city. In contrast, in the areas with high concentrations of lower SES populations, the double difference estimate indicated an 11 percent decrease relative to the baseline accessibility index (0.09). We build on case-specific findings and international literature to reflect on policy avenues to include the poor in the mobility benefits of BRT systems. These measures include targeted fare subsidies for low-income groups, fare integration with other forms of public transport that reduce the cost of transfers, and the increase of coverage of the BRT through the integration of stations with non-motorized infrastructure.
Highlights
Rapid urbanization in Latin American cities coupled with a fragmented planning and policies to manage such growth has led to several transport development challenges including increased traffic congestion and air pollution, and the proliferation of urban sprawl and informal settlements difficult to serve with public transport systems [1]
Increased demand for centrally located land associated with rapid urbanization has, in-turn, pushed lower income populations to move to the outskirts of cities in search of affordable housing, leading to patterns of urban growth that tends to be sprawling, informal, and lacking in adequate transport infrastructure services
We found that the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) line reduced travel times to reach jobs amongst populations living within walking distance of the system; the limited coverage of the BRT in areas with high concentrations of poor populations led to a concentration of these accessibility benefits to higher income areas
Summary
Rapid urbanization in Latin American cities coupled with a fragmented planning and policies to manage such growth has led to several transport development challenges including increased traffic congestion and air pollution, and the proliferation of urban sprawl and informal settlements difficult to serve with public transport systems [1]. Increased demand for centrally located land associated with rapid urbanization has, in-turn, pushed lower income populations to move to the outskirts of cities in search of affordable housing, leading to patterns of urban growth that tends to be sprawling, informal, and lacking in adequate transport infrastructure services This in turn has led to an increase in both time and monetary costs associated with transportation for the poor. By being farther from the city center, lower income citizens tend to experience longer travel times due to larger distances to job and other activity centers, poor local coverage of public transport that leads to long walking times to reach bus stops and transit stations, traffic congestion, and more transfers These populations often suffer the highest burdens related to negative transport externalities in cities, including higher exposure to pollution and risk of traffic accidents [2,3]. Together these factors exacerbate the already low level of access to jobs and other economic opportunities and increase social and economic exclusion among the poor
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