Travel behaviour differences among people with disabilities: A cluster analysis of accessible taxi users before and during the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

IntroductionPeople with disabilities (PWD) represent the largest minority group in Canada. Many municipalities have implemented paratransit services and subsidized accessible taxi services to provide affordable and equitable transport choices for PWD. However, few scholars have examined who is using these services and how they use them, making it challenging to assess the social impacts of paratransit projects. This study helps to address this knowledge gap through its examination of the differences in travel behaviour among PWD who use accessible taxi services in Toronto, Canada. Specifically, our study engages four research questions: (1) who are accessible taxi service users? (2) how are individuals using accessible taxi services? (3) are there different groups of users based on their travel behaviour? and, (4) how has travel behaviour changed in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic? MethodsThis article employs a cluster analysis to categorize users based on their travel habits and patterns and examines the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on their travel behaviour. Study data includes approximately one million trips made by 40,000 users between June 2018 and June 2021. ResultsThe study identifies five distinct user profiles among accessible taxi users. During the pandemic, there was a significant decrease in the number of PWD using accessible taxi services, particularly for occasional users. Conversely, the percentage of users who made health-related trips increased. Additionally, the findings suggest that PWD who continued or started using accessible taxi services during the pandemic are more likely to be among the most socially disadvantaged groups. ConclusionsThis study can help transit service providers and policymakers better understand the different types of paratransit users and improve services. Additionally, the findings contribute to the existing literature on addressing transport-related social exclusion in Toronto, which is largely focused on population groups with low-income and affordability issues, and not disability.