Equity in Transportation Payments: A Study for the California Department of Transportation

Mata, Stacy; Hamilton, Madi; Huang, Caleb; Gahbauer, John; Matute, Juan

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Equity in Transportation Payments: A Study for the California Department of Transportation

2025-10-31
By Mata, Stacy ; Hamilton, Madi ; Huang, Caleb

File Language:

English

Details

Alternative Title:

Equity in Payments for Transit and Congestion Charging
Creators:

Mata, Stacy ; Hamilton, Madi ; Huang, Caleb ; Gahbauer, John ; Matute, Juan
Corporate Creators:

University of California, Los Angeles. Institute of Transportation Studies
Corporate Contributors:

California. Department of Transportation
Subject/TRT Terms:
Publication/ Report Number:

CA25-4326
Resource Type:

Tech Report
Geographical Coverage:

United States
Edition:

Final report (April 2024 – October 2025)
Corporate Publisher:

California. Department of Transportation
Abstract:

This study identifies equity challenges in current transportation payment systems, specifically for transit, parking, and vehicle tolls. The methodology included comprehensive literature reviews, an inventory of 49 global transit systems, seven case studies, and expert interviews to assess payment accessibility, technical rules, interoperability, and user privacy. The study found that current systems disproportionately burden low-income, unbanked, and disabled users through high complexity and lack of cash-equivalent options. To mitigate this, the report recommends designing and deploying a California Mobility Card (CMC). The CMC would be a reloadable, prepaid transportation card operating on an existing, widespread payment network, offering cash-equivalent anonymity, seamless cross system travel, and automatic access to discounts like fare capping.
Format:

PDF
Funding:

65A1166
Download URL:

https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/90502/dot_90502_DS1.pdf
File Type:

[PDF - 4.12 MB]
Collection(s):

US Transportation Collection
Main Document Checksum:

urn:sha-512:1a13198f59008eac28d83bb7e3438fc27cfd0791ba56dcfb4e51fcbd024cb35b8d6e85794b7a0c8a9ec8fc07fb4e7f9ec6b65a6dac2627317f63b09a7bcda848

File Language:

English

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