Abstract
People with low incomes often face difficulties traveling because of a dearth of affordable and reliable transportation modes, and this has profound quality-of-life implications. In this longitudinal partial randomized controlled trial of universal basic mobility wallets, the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LA Metro) provided nearly 1,000 residents with prepaid debit cards loaded with $150 in transportation funds per month for 12 months beginning in May 2023. These could be used to pay for local and regional transit, carsharing, car rentals, ridehailing, bicycle/scooter sharing, and merchandise purchased at local bicycle shops. Analysis of surveys before and during the pilot showed a significant increase in transportation security (p < 0.001), accessible destinations (p = 0.035), and use of ridehailing (p < 0.001) for participants in the pilot compared to people not enrolled in the pilot (control). The study also includes observational analyses for the treatment group suggesting that the pilot improved financial freedom, motivated changes personal vehicle holdings, and improved the ability to make certain trips.
