Economic Analysis of Public Transportation in Reno, Nevada

Abstract

Access to public transit is important and beneficial economically and socially in numerous ways. Using economic and demographic variables from U.S. Census data, we have examined who is being served by public transit in Reno, as well as examined the flow of workers to their jobs to identify possible locations for expansion. We focus on areas with high densities of workers and jobs, especially those that are low income. The first part of the research consists of an analysis on use of public transit. We have conducted regression analyses on the factors that influence choice of transportation to work. The second part of our research looks at access to public transit, which we define as individuals living or working within 400 meters of a bus stop. After our data analyses, we have found locations that are possibly being underserved by public transit based on our specified criteria.