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A Bus Home:�Homelessness in Transit Environments

Anastasia Loukaitou-Sideris, Jacob Wasserman, Hao Ding, Ryan Caro

March 22, 2021

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Agenda

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Survey Design

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Extent of Homelessness

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Challenges

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Responses

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Best Practices

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Conclusions

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Survey Design

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115 Operators Surveyed (142 Staff)

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52 California Operators Surveyed

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Extent of Homelessness

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Reported Extent

  • Homelessness is reported across most U.S. and Canadian transit systems, though to varying degrees:
    • 51% of estimating agencies that gave an estimate report 100+ unhoused people on their system daily
    • 16% report 500+ people: mostly large agencies, many West Coast or Mountain West
  • Very few agencies take counts of unhoused riders (6%)
    • More than 1 in 4 could not provide even a rough estimate of people experiencing homelessness on their system
  • Agencies report more unhoused riders since the start of the pandemic:

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Where Agencies Mostly See Homelessness

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Challenges

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Reported Challenges

Challenges are reported as worse:

  • Since 2016
  • Since the pandemic
  • On larger operators

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Responses

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Agency Responses to Homelessness

  • Staff consider responding to homelessness as rather important, albeit not their most important task, rating it 3.5 out of 5
  • But only 19% of agencies have developed formal policies on homelessness (mostly large operators)
    • Very few changed policies after 2020 protests against police brutality
  • Even without formal policies, agencies take measures in response to homelessness Common ones include:
    • Enforcement: requiring disembarking at ends of lines (67%), “hostile architecture” (50%), anti-loitering laws (49%)
    • Outreach/services: discounted/free fares to unhoused riders (31%), using vehicles/facilities as heating/cooling centers (24%)

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Responses during the Pandemic

  • The pandemic has caused:
    • 41% to rethink or develop new policies
    • 29% to intensify their responses to homelessness
    • 29% to start new partnerships and/or implement new strategies

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Responses during the Pandemic

  • During the pandemic, many agencies have suspended fare enforcement (honor system) or removed fares altogether (fare-free)
  • Agencies without fares/fare enforcement report higher numbers of unhoused riders during the pandemic, but…

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Collecting fares

Fare-free

Honor system

Did reported # of unhoused riders increase during the pandemic?

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Responses during the Pandemic

  • During the pandemic, many agencies have suspended fare enforcement (honor system) or removed fares altogether (fare-free)
  • Agencies without fares/fare enforcement report higher numbers of unhoused riders during the pandemic, but…

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Collecting fares

Fare-free

Honor system

vs.

Not statistically significant

Did reported # of unhoused riders increase during the pandemic?

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Responses during the Pandemic

  • During the pandemic, many agencies have suspended fare enforcement (honor system) or removed fares altogether (fare-free)
  • Agencies without fares/fare enforcement report higher numbers of unhoused riders during the pandemic, but…

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Collecting fares

Fare-free

Honor system

vs.

Statistically significant

Did reported # of unhoused riders increase during the pandemic?

The difference is enforcement (broader issue), not fares.

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Factors behind Homelessness Response

  • Lack of resources:
    • Almost no agencies receive external funding to address homelessness
    • 16% have dedicated staff
  • 53% offer training to front-line employees on how to interact with unhoused riders
  • Importance of partnerships:
    • 86% have at least one external partnership(s)
    • 69% have partnered with law enforcement
    • 58% have partnered with public social service agencies
    • 51% have partnered with nonprofit/private organizations
  • Most operators consider their responses somewhat successful (42%) or neutral (37%)

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Best Practices

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Best Practice Case Studies

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Data Collection

Mobile Outreach

Hub of Services

Discounted Fares

Transportation to Shelters

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L.A. Metro

(Los Angeles, CA)

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BART

(San Francisco Bay Area, CA)

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L.A. Metro

(Los Angeles, CA)

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BART

(San Francisco Bay Area, CA)

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MTA NYCT

(New York City, NY)

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RTD

(Denver, CO)

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SacRT

(Sacramento, CA)

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SEPTA

(Philadelphia, PA)

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BART

(San Francisco Bay Area, CA)

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TriMet

(Portland, OR)

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King County Metro

(Seattle, WA)

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MTA NYCT

(New York City, NY)

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Metro Transit

(Madison, WI)

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Conclusions

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What Can Transit Operators Do?

  • Collect more and better counts/data
  • Rethink fare policies in regard to homelessness
  • Expand outreach strategies
  • Expand partnerships
  • Expand dedicated funding
  • Disseminate best practices
  • Center the mobility and wellbeing of unhoused riders

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Research Team

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Jacob Wasserman�Project Manager

Anastasia Loukaitou-Sideris�PI

Hao Ding�PhD Student Researcher

Ryan Caro�Master’s Student Researcher

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Thank You

Jacob Wasserman

jacobwasserman@ucla.edu

(424)-287-7424

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Research Project Manager

Institute of Transportation Studies

UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs

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Anastasia Loukaitou-Sideris

sideris@ucla.edu

(310)-206-9679

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Distinguished Professor of Urban Planning

Institute of Transportation Studies

UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs

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Research report:

Homelessness in Transit Environments: Volume I

www.its.ucla.edu/publication/ homelessness_in_transit_environments

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Find research reports and policy briefs at www.its.ucla.edu

Transportation finance, public transit and innovative mobility