The San José's Mobility Credit Pilot: A Delayed Randomized Control Trial Evaluation

The San Jose Mobility Credit pilot (MCP) tests a new approach that allows individuals the freedom to travel when, where, and how they want to go. The pilot provides MCs that enable individuals to maximize travel while minimizing costs. Interest in these programs is growing throughout the U.S. The research team has experience evaluating similar programs in the U.S. The project will include a delayed longitudinal randomized control trial (RCT) to evaluate the MCP. The design of the 18-month MCP in-person participant recruitment, training, and support by the City of San Jose will support high participation and survey response rates. The study will be the first to use a delayed RCT design with a difference-in-differences (DID) statistical analysis to evaluate an MCP. In general, RCTs are rarely used to test the effectiveness of transportation projects and policies. The proposed study will evaluate the effects of the MCP, not only on individuals’ overall travel freedom, but also on transportation security (e.g., travel speed, time, and reliability), community participation (e.g., church, family, school, and volunteer activities), employment, education, and overall health (which could lead savings in health care costs). Few studies have evaluated the significance of transportation access interventions on these measures. The longer duration of the MCP may allow for a better assessment of evaluation measures. The MCP evaluation will be one of few studies that examine the causal effects (randomized control trial with difference-in-differences analysis) of a transportation intervention on multiple evaluation measures.  

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