Transport poverty indicators: A new framework based on the household budget survey

Abstract

The energy transition represents an economic opportunity in many countries, but it can also disproportionately affect vulnerable households. Although increasing attention has been paid on energy poverty at homes, there is another dimension in which research has not yet placed enough emphasis: Transport poverty. This study proposes a framework for measuring transport poverty that uses information from the Household Budget Survey (HBS), a standardized database that is available every year in many countries. We develop and test 3 indicators that cover the affordability dimension of transport poverty (10%, 2 M, LHIC) and another one that also includes the accessibility dimension (VTU). Our research is supplemented by a statistical analysis that enables us to identify the drivers of transport poverty and by an analysis of the advantages and disadvantages of each metric. This framework offers a new common base for measuring transport poverty in different regions and enables transport poverty to be tracked over time.