Accessibility measurements in São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Curitiba and Recife, Brazil

Authors

Geneviève Boisjoly
Bernardo Serra
Gabriel T. Oliveira
Ahmed El-Geneidy, McGill University

Document Type

Journal Article

Publication Date

2020

Subject Area

place - south america, mode - bus rapid transit, mode - tram/light rail, mode - rail, policy - equity, planning - methods

Keywords

Accessibility evaluation, Equity, Public transport, Latin America

Abstract

Increasing attention is given to public transport services in cities of the Global South as a tool to enhance social inclusion and support economic development. Against this background, developing and evaluating indicators that quantify the distribution of public transport services from a social equity perspective is essential. The aim of the study is, therefore, to assess the equity of public transport services in four metropolitan regions in Brazil (São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Curitiba and Recife) with two commonly used indicators of public transport provision. The first indicator measures proximity to rapid transit infrastructure (bus rapid transit, light rail and heavy rail stops with high frequency throughout the day), and the second measures accessibility to jobs by public transport. While simple indicators of proximity to public transport stops are most commonly used given their ease of operationalization and communication, accessibility to job indicators are more representative of the benefits provided to individuals by the public transport network. Combining these two indicators in one study provides a quantitative assessment of the socio-spatial distribution of public transport services in four large metropolitan areas in Brazil and the results demonstrate that lower-income households are disadvantaged in terms of public transport services in all four metropolitan areas. Furthermore, the results highlight the importance of quantifying accessibility by public transport, in addition to proximity to rapid transit, and thereby sheds light on the importance of developing openly available public transport schedules and geographic data. This study is of relevance to planners and researchers wishing to measure and evaluate public transport equity in the Global South.

Rights

Permission to publish the abstract has been given by Elsevier, copyright remains with them.

Comments

Journal of Transport Geography home Page:

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/09666923

Recommended Citation

Boisjoly, G., Serra, B., Oliveira, G.T., & El-Geneidy, A. (2020). Accessibility measurements in São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Curitiba and Recife, Brazil. Journal of Transport Geography, Volume 82, 102551.