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Transit Riders’ Experience & Emotion (TREE)

Who: Low-income riders, homeless populations

What:

• Assess TriMet’s low-income fare program on the commuting behaviors of riders

• Measure commuter psychological and physical wellbeing

• Evaluate commuter access to job and education opportunities

• Understand barriers and motivators for enrolling in the low-income fare program

Where/When: A mixed-methods, quasi-experimental design with an experimental group and a control group, 2 surveys (5-10 minutes long) with the same content will be given to participants in their choice of format (hard copy or electronic), at a 2-month interval to complete at the recruitment sites or home. Starting in Spring 2021 (bar further COVID complications).

Why: Contributes to TriMet’s policy makers by offering them data regarding the efficacy, perceptions, and impact of their low-income fare policy. This also allows researchers to understand the effects of policy changes on customers behavior and well-being from an interdisciplinary lens.