Assessing Transit Accessibility in African American Communities. A Case Study of the Houston Metropolitan Area

Transportation is the pulse that keeps today’s society moving. The movement of people, places, and things all rely on some form of transportation. There are various ways to move people; mass public transit, personal vehicles, and private transit entities are just a few ways that people move. Access to viable transportation is essential in the quality-of-life aspect of today’s society; in many cases, African American populations lack access to viable transportation. Work, school, and shopping are just a few activities that almost always require some form of transportation. Houston, Texas, is known for its diverse culture. Ordinarily, residents in the Houston region tend to inhabit together in their respective assemblage. The Metropolitan Transit Authority of Houston (METRO) and similar agencies aim to move people in the Houston region efficiently. This study will analyze transit equity between African American communities and Caucasian Communities. It is an unforgiving truth that there is an alarming number of inequities concerning transit access in America. This study intends to examine the existing transit infrastructure in the Metropolitan Area of Houston, Texas. Focusing on the concept of transit accessibility inequities for African American Communities (AACs) in the region, the study seeks to investigate various urban and suburban AACs compared to one predominantly white community to depict inequities in transit access. At its core, this study aims to provide information to render increased transit equity for the African American community. The study found that there were statistical differences in transit access between the three selected study areas. Although the major differences the study determined that the transit system was equitable as the Metropolitan transit authority of Harris County provided services based on need