Shifts in Public Transit Equity during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Case Study in Riverside, California

ABSTRACT

A prime component of any effective public transportation system is equitable access for all riders within the community. Building transportation networks with equity in mind can boost ridership and transit network coverage. The problem of social equity in transportation is further exacerbated by historically auto-dependent cities and the pandemic restrictions from COVID-19. This paper aims to quantify transit equity using a disadvantage index. These results are then applied to different periods of a transit system throughout the COVID-19 pandemic to see how it affected social equity in public transportation as part of a case study in Riverside, California. Heat maps are overlaid on the transit network's lines and stops using geographic information systems (GIS) software to visualize the variables associated with transit equity calculations. Publicly released General Transit Feed Specification (GTFS) data is used to plot the state of the transit network at different points in time. The results show that route changes during the COVID-19 pandemic had a noticeable but minimal effect on social equity in transportation.