Alternative Transportation Financing Strategies: Special Equity Implications for Older and Retired People
Abstract
This paper presents the major findings from a study conducted for AARP (formerly the American Association of Retired Persons) on the implications of various transportation financing strategies for older and retired people. The study found that almost all current and proposed financing mechanisms are or would be regressive and that many would have a limited relationship to the costs that users impose on the system or the benefits that travelers receive from the system. The most important study finding is that there are more substantial equity concerns for older and retired people when less traditional definitions of equity are applied. The study concludes that to offset inequities in the current system or a potential system of financing, particularly in how those funds are spent to deliver transportation services, it is crucial that all levels of government structure and deliver transportation services that respond to the specific needs of older and retired people.
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Article first published online: January 1, 2010
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