Public versus Private Transportation: What is Being Utilized by People with Disabilities in the Greater Richmond Metropolitan Area

This is a research report examining the barriers of the public and private transportation options for people with disabilities in Richmond City, Virginia. The reported barriers were then categorized using the Five Level Social Economic Model (personal, interpersonal, organization, community, and public policy), Next was looked at was the impacts the barriers proposed at each level. Four commuter groups were analyzed in order to have a full picture of transportation; they were: choice-disabled (a person who chooses either public or private with a disability), non choice-disabled (a person who has no choice on transportation options, or no access to private vehicles who has a disability), choice non disabled (a person who chooses both public and private and does not have a disability), and non choice non disabled (a person who does not have access to private and does not have a disability). Three common themes were repeated throughout all groups; 1) time, how long it takes to commute or schedule options 2) cost, money spent on vehicle or transportation fares and 3) destination, where public vehicles go. Information for this report was obtained through direct consumer contact, agencies' reports, and transportation's public forums/town halls.