How Do Car Donation Programs Effect Travel, Income, and Healthcare Access Among Poor Families?

US Transportation Collection2020PDFTech ReportKlein, Nicholas J.Cornell UniversityCornell University. Center for Transportation, Environment, and Community HealthUnited States. Department of Transportation. University Transportation Centers (UTC) ProgramUnited States. Department of Transportation. Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and TechnologyCornell University. Center for Transportation, Environment, and Community Health. (CTECH)MarylandVirginiaUnited StatesAccessAutomobile ownershipEmploymentHealth careLow income groupsMobilitySubsidiesSurveysTransportationEquity (Justice)Economic benefitsEconomic impactsEconomic and social factorsPovertyEconomic mobility69A3551747119Final Report 10/01/2018 \u2013 03/31/2020What happens when you give poor families a car? For decades, scholars have suggested that giving poor families cars can help them move up the economic ladder, yet these programs have rarely been studied. My research will study changes in poor families\u2019 lives when they receive a car from the largest vehicle donation program in the country. I interviewed 30 individuals living in Maryland and Virginia who received a subsidized car. Having a car eased their daily travel and allowed them to transition to better-paying jobs, helped them move to neighborhoods with more opportunities, improved their access to healthcare, and enabled them and their children to participate more fully in school-related activities. I also situate the subsidized cars within interviewees\u2019 mobility history. Most had owned cars before, and subsidized car ownership programs offer low-income consumers a safe alternative to a risky and expensive market for used cars.113