This study looks at initial results from the Transportation Wallet for Residents of Affordable Housing pilot program launched by the City of Portland’s Bureau of Transportation. The program provides a set of transportation incentives for low-income participants, including a US$308 prepaid Visa card that could be applied to public transit or other transportation services, a free bike share membership, and access to discounted rates on several services. A survey was conducted with the program’s participants (278 total responses) to understand how they used the Transportation Wallet and how the program helped them use different transport modes to get around. The main findings include: (1) The financial support of this program encouraged some participants to use new mobility services (including Uber/Lyft, bike share, and e-scooter) that they had never used before; (2) the program increased access for participants, helping them make more trips and, for some, get to places they otherwise could not have gone; and (3) transportation fairs, where participants could learn about services and talk to providers, promoted both mode sign-up and mode usage, particularly for new mobility services and a reduced fare transit program. The survey results also point to some opportunities to improve the program. Participant feedback suggests that transportation agencies do more to streamline and educate participants on how to use new mobility services and coordinate different service providers to optimize seamless services for participants. The paper provides insights into the implementation and effectiveness of a transportation financial incentive program for low-income populations.

这项研究着眼于波特兰市交通局推出的《负担得起的住房居民交通钱包试点计划》的初步结果。该计划为低收入参与者提供了一系列交通激励措施，包括一张可用于公共交通或其他交通服务的308美元预付Visa卡，免费的自行车共享会员资格以及几种服务的折扣价。该计划的参与者进行了一项调查（总计278份回答），以了解他们如何使用运输钱包以及该计划如何帮助他们使用不同的运输方式来解决问题。主要发现包括：（1）该计划的财务支持鼓励了一些参与者使用新的出行服务（包括Uber / Lyft，自行车共享，和电动踏板车），他们以前从未使用过；（2）该计划增加了参与者的访问权限，帮助他们进行更多的旅行，并且使某些人到达了他们原本无法去的地方；（3）在运输展览会上，参与者可以了解服务并与提供者交谈，促进了模式注册和模式使用，特别是对于新的出行服务和降低票价的运输计划。调查结果还指出了一些改进程序的机会。参与者的反馈表明，运输机构在简化和教育参与者如何使用新的出行服务以及协调不同的服务提供商以优化参与者的无缝服务方面可以做得更多。