Income effects on travel mode choices among people with and without disabilities: Operationalizing the capability...

Income helps low-income individuals reduce their reliance on transit and walking and increase car travel. People with disabilities might face challenges in improving their private vehicle access due to disability-related extra costs.

This study examines whether income has different impacts on travel mode choice based on disability status, disability type, and level of activity limitations.

This study used time diary data from the nationally representative American Time Use Survey to estimate the differences in income effects on the likelihood of using public transit, walking, and traveling in private vehicles as drivers or as passengers between working-age adults with and without disabilities. Confounding variables included socioeconomic, demographic, household, and geographic characteristics.

Income was associated with a three-percentage-point (95 % CI: 0, 6) higher likelihood of using private vehicles as passengers for people with disabilities. In addition, people with vision disability were 10 percentage points (95 % CI: 4, 16) more likely to travel as passengers when they had more income. In contrast, people without disabilities were equally likely to travel as passengers regardless of income. Whereas people without disabilities were 10 percentage points (95 % CI: 8, 11) more likely to drive when they had more income, income was not associated with a higher likelihood of driving for people with activity-limiting disability.

Income effectively expands transportation options for people with disabilities beyond transit and walking. Personal care assistant programs with high reimbursement rates can ease the financial burden of people with disabilities who pay others to travel as passengers.