PUBLIC
TRANSIT
Since poor
households are much less likely than others to have a car, the
question arises, how do they get around? The answer is that they
car pool, they use public transit, and they miss doing things. The
most common uses of public transit by the poor are for shopping and
medical care, with social activities coming third (Table 5-22).
Studies of
public transit show that the poor and lower middle income families
use it most. For example, a recent study of the bus system in
metropolitan Washington, D.C. shows that the average bus rider
makes between $3,000 and $6,000, has no choice but to travel by
bus, must transfer once, and uses the bus primarily to get to and
from work.
Do family
members miss activities because of lack of transportation? Most
families of all incomes reported having no problems (Table 5-23).
However, the poor are disproportionately hurt: over a fourth of all
poor households report having a problem of some kind. Only
one-tenth of the middle income families and one-twentieth of the
well off report any such problems. The most severe problem of the
poor is in the constriction of their social lives—their
inability to visit friends and relatives. Another important transit
problem of the poor is their isolation from less expensive stores.
This is particularly important because it means that the few
dollars the poor have cannot be stretched as far as possible. Thus
the poor suffer disproportionately from lack of transportation.
Carl
Stokes, the former mayor of Cleveland, put it this way:
As a
society we have opted for an automotive society which has conferred
vastly improved access and mobility on the majority who
Table 5-22.Households Using Public
Transportation During the Past Month by Purpose and Income, Spring
1973 (percent)
| Transportation
purpose |
Poor |
Lower middle |
Upper middle |
Well off |
| All households |
100 |
100 |
100 |
100 |
| Shopping |
20 |
12 |
9 |
7 |
| Groceries |
16 |
4 |
1 |
3 |
| Clothes |
14 |
10 |
9 |
7 |
| Things for home |
11 |
6 |
4 |
3 |
| Visiting a doctor or
dentist |
18 |
9 |
4 |
4 |
| Socializing |
15 |
10 |
8 |
6 |
| Visiting friends |
12 |
7 |
5 |
1 |
| Visiting relatives |
12 |
7 |
5 |
3 |
| Other social
activities |
7 |
4 |
3 |
4 |
| Going to a religious
service |
10 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
| Going to school |
4 |
3 |
5 |
8 |
| Source: Washington
Center for Metropolitan Studies' Lifestyles and Energy
Surveys. |