A small pilot project in Los Angeles is testing the waters of funding a universal basic mobility program.
One thousand low-income households in south L.A. are part of a program to receive $150 per month for a year to be used toward public or private transportation. The Mobility Wallet, as the program is known, issues a refillable debit card to the residents to cover the cost of public transit, Uber rides or even bike rentals…
The program is not unlike universal basic mobility programs launched in other cities like Pittsburgh. L.A. Metro has already taken other steps toward transportation equity by making rides on its vast rail and bus transit system free for students and income-qualified riders. Other systems like the transit network in Kansas City, Mo., have made trips free for all users.
