Transport poverty and access to essential services

Key statistics 

• estimates of households experiencing transport poverty range from around 10% to as high as 90%, depending on how transport poverty is defined and measured 

• transport poverty can occur when households cannot afford transport costs, lack access to transport services, or experience excessive travel time to reach essential services 

• people living in low-income households, rural areas or peripheral urban neighbourhoods are more likely to experience transport-related disadvantage 

Key messages 

• transport poverty remains poorly defined and inconsistently measured across research and policy 

• limited attention from transport policy and engineering has contributed to fragmented responses 

• transport disadvantage can restrict access to employment, education, healthcare and social participation 

• both rural and urban populations can experience transport poverty, though the causes may differ 

• current policy approaches often fail to capture the lived experiences of people affected by transport barriers 

Policy implications 

• develop clearer definitions and indicators of transport poverty to support consistent policy responses 

• integrate transport planning with wider social policy areas including health and social care access 

• improve public transport connectivity in areas with limited service provision 

• consider affordability alongside physical accessibility when designing transport systems 

• involve communities affected by transport poverty in policy development and planning 

Gaps 

• there is no widely accepted definition or measurement framework for transport poverty 

• evidence is limited on the scale of transport poverty across different regions and demographic groups 

• more research is needed on how transport barriers affect access to health and social care services 

• limited evaluation exists on the effectiveness of policy interventions designed to reduce transport poverty 

Commentary 

This paper explores the concept of transport poverty and how limited mobility can create wider forms of social disadvantage. Transport poverty occurs when people are unable to reach essential services, employment opportunities or social networks because transport is unavailable, unaffordable or unreliable. 

The authors argue that transport poverty has received relatively little attention from transport policy and engineering compared with other areas of infrastructure planning. As a result, responses to transport disadvantage have often been fragmented and inconsistent. 

Transport barriers can affect many aspects of daily life. People may struggle to reach workplaces, educational opportunities, shops or healthcare services. These challenges can contribute to social isolation and economic disadvantage, particularly for people living on low incomes. 

Transport poverty affects both urban and rural populations. In rural areas, people may face long distances between services and limited public transport. In urban areas, the problem may relate more to the cost of transport or poor connectivity between neighbourhoods and employment centres. 

From a health and social care equity perspective, transport plays an important role in determining whether people can access services. Difficulties travelling to health and social care appointments may delay treatment or prevent people from receiving support. Transport barriers can also affect care workers, who may need to travel long distances to visit people receiving care at home. 

The study highlights the importance of recognising mobility as part of the wider system that supports access to services. Policies that improve public transport availability, affordability and connectivity could help reduce transport-related inequities and improve access to health and social care services.