“It [transit] enables me to be able to actually support myself financially, find a future outside of what I live in right now.” 

- Youth participant, West Kootenay

Mobility is essential for youth to access school, work, community, and support services. We are very excited to announce the release of our research brief Mobility at a Cost: Barriers to Transportation Access for Low-Income Rural and Urban Youth in BC and Pathways to Equity. Our research explored the layered impacts of inaccessible transit on low-income youth in BC's Lower Mainland and West Kootenay region and made actionable recommendations to address mobility poverty for barriered youth in BC.

You can read our summary of our key research findings and related recommendations here.

Expanding an evidence-based understanding of barriers to transit equity for youth

The Mobilizing Justice for Youth Research Project aimed to expand our understanding of the impact of transit access and mobility poverty on low-income and at-risk youth aged 13 – 18 in the Lower Mainland and Interior region of BC.

This case study research builds on data we collected through our participation in the City of Vancouver's Reduced Fare Transit Pilot Project in 2022 and our Transit for Teens initiative which we launched in 2023.

This research project was funded and supported by the Mobilizing Justice project of the University of Toronto Scarborough, which is a partnership addressing transportation inequities through research and knowledge mobilization. Our BC research and outreach partners included Aunt Leah's Place the BC Coalition to End Youth Homelessness, and front-line youth-serving organizations in Castlegar.

Engaging youth with lived experience of mobility poverty

In line with our participatory action research approach, Centre for Family Equity sought to bring in the voices of low-income and marginalized youth that are often absent from transportation research. Two youth peer researchers came on board to inform all aspects of the case study, including outreach, data collection, and analysis.

The case study explored how transportation access affects at-risk youth aged 13-18 who live below the poverty line, are in foster care, are homeless, or are at risk of homelessness, and are impacted by intersectional marginalization due to their identity as Indigenous, racialized, Black, and 2SLGBTQIA+ youth.

With thanks to our funder, Mobilizing Justice, and research partners: