Analysis of consumers ability to afford public transportation in Brazilian states capitals

Abstract

Income is a preponderant factor on the mobility condition of individuals, in proportion to the fact that the higher the monthly income absorbed in transportation expenses, the lower the mobility condition. This article aims to identify how the Brazilian of public transport users. It is a panorama of the places where the population has a greater or lesser degree of easiness to reach mobility with respect to income, taking as reference the relation between the price of the passage and the minimum wage. For this purpose, an indicator was developed for cities in Latin America (ECLAC, 1992). Through the indicator, it was possible to verify that Belo Horizonte - MG is the capital city in Brazil where users are less accessible, while Rio de Janeiro is the capital with greater accessibility based on the minimum income. None of the cities reached the value considered critical by the indicator (33%). However, some reached
20%, close to what is consumed in the families’ meals, a proportion of about 19.8% of the minimum wage, an indication that the proportion of monthly income committed with transportation is high and may negatively interfere with the mobility of users public transport in some cities.