Freeing the “Captive Rider”

Abstract

In recent years, public transit policy has often focused on chasing ‘choice’ riders, or those who have mode alternatives, while taking for granted ‘captive’ riders, or also referred to as transit dependents. This paper argues for a need to re-centre attention towards ‘captive’ riders through equity and sustainability perspectives, and to question the use of the term ‘captive’, as it alludes to marginalization. We conduct this research by examining the transit experiences of a sample of young captive riders in Don Valley Village and Crescent Town, two high-rise suburban neighbourhoods in the City of Toronto. Semi-structured interviews are used to gain insight into participants’ travel patterns and the challenges associated with public transit use. Participants accrue different types of costs with their experiences (i.e., time, money, safety, and comfort), which do limit their ability to participate in public life. The study is situated in the broader context of transit equity, which point to the need for service quality improvements for ‘captive’ riders. This study also shows why assessments of young captive riders’ experiences is essential for planning. Contrary to how captive riders are perceived, service quality issues prompted some of the study participants to switch to driving, which further questions the categorization of ‘choice’ and ‘captive’. Transit agencies are urged to consider further how to improve transit quality for ‘captive’ riders to contribute to equity but also to maintain transit loyalty among younger transit riders as their circumstances change.