Equal fare, unequal impact
When two people pay the same amount, the one with a lower income commits a larger portion of the budget. The weight increases when the journey requires more than one fare or when integration benefits do not apply.
Casa Fluminense estimated that residents of the Metropolitan Region of Rio allocate, on average, around 10% of their monthly income to tariffs. The average does not mean that all families pay this proportion: some stay below, others stop traveling or commit much more.
The invisible cost of living far away
Peripheralization combines distance, less supply, waiting and fewer alternatives. A cheap trip, however rare and unpredictable, can result in loss of income due to delays. A faster route may be inaccessible as it requires an additional fare.
Therefore, the analysis must consider disbursement per month, time, number of steps, access to benefits and opportunities that are no longer achieved.
Fairer indicators
A fare policy can be evaluated by the percentage of income, the number of trips possible with a given budget and the resulting accessibility. It is also important to observe who receives transport vouchers and who works informally without the benefit.
| Indicator | What it reveals |
|---|---|
| Monthly spending on transportation | Total family disbursement. |
| Percentage of income | Relative weight on the budget. |
| Affordable opportunity cost | How much is paid to get a job or service. |
| Time and variability | Non-monetary cost and risk of delay. |
| Suppressed trips | Trips that a person stops making because of price or supply. |