Examining the empirical evidence of transport inequality in the US and UK

Abstract

On the basis that most social policy is concerned with addressing the unequal effects of the market distribution of goods and services in the interest of the welfare of citizens, this chapter presents the empirical evidence of transport inequality in the UK and US. It draws out the similarities and differences in transport access and travel behaviour between the average population and different social groups within each country. Where the data allows, the discussion makes direct comparisons between the UK and the US circumstances. It considers the implications of these inequities in relation to wider quality-of-life issues – such as access to work, education, healthcare, and other basic amenities – identifies how widely these issues have been examined within the existing body of research, and highlights gaps in this knowledge base.