So Close Yet So Far: Investigating the Role of City Public Transportation for Improving Healthcare Accessibility

Abstract

Substantial research and real-life applications have shown the importance of public transportation  — classified as Non-emergency Medical Transportation (NEMT) — in relation to healthcare accessibility for the elderly, Medicaid-insured, and low-income city dwellers. Still, purposeful public transit expansion for these populations has yet to be fully improved and has only recently begun ramping up. City leaders in America should prioritize the development of new transit routes connecting care centers and marginalized communities as a pressing city-wide infrastructure goal, especially during this critical moment of re-emergence from the pandemic. Historical context is also necessary to provide a better understanding of our current status quo, as well as the spotlighting on specific individuals and communities impacted by the lack of public transit options within their urban neighborhoods. Centering our focus on the San Francisco Bay Area, scholarly literature detailing health equity, and recent legislative policies, I aim to locate the role of public transportation in providing equitable access and the steps that should be taken to enhance accessibility throughout underserved, marginalized urban residents across the United States.