ABSTRACT

Mobility – measured as the number of trips per person per day – increases when income increases, and is higher among males and for those between 10 and 40 years old, who are either studying or working. Overall, the average individual mobility rates (trips/day) vary from one (for very poor people) to four (wealthy people). A parallel phenomenon is that of increasing use of motorized means with increasing incomes (either public or private), depending on the level of income and the availability of transport means. The figure summarizes data from São Paulo in 2002. It may be seen that as income increases, walking decreases and travel by public transport also decreases (for the higher income levels). In parallel, the use of private means increases across all income levels. The pattern revealed by the figure may change according to specific characteristics of every society and of transport alternatives. For instance, cycling is very important in Asia and in wealthy European cities, and it may replace trips made on public or motorized private modes; more importantly, the high quality of public transport may ‘soften’ the decrease in its use as income increases, as happens in Europe. The same effect may occur if the costs (fuel, parking) of using automobiles are high (such as in Europe and wealthy Asian cities).