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Transportation Hardship: Are You Better off with a Car?

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Abstract

Growing evidence demonstrates the importance of transportation in improving family economic well being. This article sheds light on the hardship that one important transportation asset, private vehicles, may exert on families. Data from the Iowa Transportation and Employment Survey provided a unique opportunity to understand how vehicle access enables households to meet their basic needs, but may exacerbate their problems through the creation of additional demands on resources. Approximately 26% of the sample reported having experienced transportation hardship. The strongest predictors of transportation hardship were the presence of children in the household, low income, driving less reliable vehicles, and the unavailability of transportation assistance from someone outside the household. How to help families meet their transportation needs in light of this evidence remains open to debate.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Iowa State University, 66 LeBaron Hall, Ames, IA, 50011

    Cynthia Needles Fletcher

  2. Iowa State University, 4380 Palmer Building, Ames, IA, 50011

    Steven B. Garasky

  3. Iowa State University, 1086 LeBaron Hall, Ames, IA, 50011

    Robert B. Nielsen

Authors
  1. Cynthia Needles Fletcher
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  2. Steven B. Garasky
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  3. Robert B. Nielsen
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Correspondence to Cynthia Needles Fletcher.

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Fletcher, C.N., Garasky, S.B. & Nielsen, R.B. Transportation Hardship: Are You Better off with a Car?. J Fam Econ Iss 26, 323–343 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10834-005-5901-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10834-005-5901-x

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