Public Transportation: An Important Service on the Road Out of Child Poverty

The study subjects—132 children between ages six and sixteen—were asked how a lack of transportation impacts their lives and what type of transportation would be best to help their families. It is striking, but not surprising, that most of these children identified that what their family needed most was a reliable car and affordable gas for the car. Not one of the children mentioned needing or using public transportation. 

“Children described their communities and the places they would like to go, but for many the distances are too great or it is not safe to walk. Parents are often unable to take children to where they need or want to go because of work commitments, time pressures, insufficient money, and the lack of transport. . Without a car – or transport more broadly – simply being part of one’s community becomes difficult, and accessing services becomes a daily struggle and sometimes a crisis.”

The MOR Framework acknowledges that to fully address transportation issues in poverty, a privately owned vehicle is not enough. “Including essential infrastructure within the definition of material deprivation is important, because even if household or individual incomes rise modestly, public infrastructure remains vital,” the researchers noted.

One of NCMM’s grantees is addressing a similar issue. In Waterloo, IA, many youth are unable to access community, work, and recreational destinations. The underlying reasons are that it is unsafe to walk or bike in some neighborhoods, destinations can be a long distance away, and their working parents are unable to transport them. Even where public transportation could be part of the solution, children are unwilling to use it because it doesn’t fit their needs or they are unfamiliar with it. Even more impactful is their parents’ perception that public transportation itself is unsafe or getting to/from a bus stop is a treacherous journey. As one parent said, “The best bus stop is one that stops in front of our house.” 

The Waterloo team designed a transportation concept integrating these features:

• Rides are booked by parents through an app-based bus service that allows parents to update their children’s location while they are using the bus. 
• For safety, the bus would use only vetted drivers and have an adult chaperone on the bus at all times. 
• The bus would run on a flexible route serving destinations identified by parents, children, and other stakeholders that could be adjusted seasonally to cater to specific demands. 
• Youth would be invited to design wraps for the buses so they have a clear youth vibe. 
• The cost per ride would be charged through the app, with an emphasis on low or reduced costs.

As Bessell and O’Sullivan noted in their report, “Reimagining and redesigning public transport systems has the potential to directly ameliorate the ways in which poverty impacts children.” I believe the Waterloo team is making significant steps in that direction, and that more will be done using this important research from Australia.