User-Side Subsidies for Shared-Ride Taxis in Kinston, North Carolina

摘要

The Kinston User-Side Subsidy Demonstration Project began operation in September 1977 and involved the provision of reduced-fare conventional taxi service to the elderly and handicapped (E&H). This report summarizes the findings of the independent evaluation of the Kinston project. In Kinston, user-side subsidies were found to be administratively feasible and were utilized almost exclusively by the most mobility-disadvantaged segments of the eligible population. These individuals, of low incomes or few travel alternatives, used the project to increase their frequency of total trip making by 3-4 percent, and to make some trips by taxi that otherwise would have been made by a less preferred mode (e.g. walking). The resulting changes in taxi-use frequency caused some changes in the supply of taxi service, though these were mainly with firms that had a large portion of E&H riders prior to the demonstration. Overall, the Kinston project provides evidence that user-side subsidies can be a viable and practical technique for facilitating the mobility of the E&H.