Paying for Transportation

Nearly all transportation policy debates concern money, and nearly all transportation finance debates concern equity. To some, this second assertion may seem puzzling, even counterintuitive. But the way public officials think of equity in transportation finance is far different from that of most social scientists or transportation planners. Equity gets defined differently by different interests at different times. This article examines transportation pricing and finance equity from a variety of perspectives to clarify what can be a fuzzy and confusing issue. The authors distinguish transportation finance and pricing equity from other forms of transportation equity and then discuss several competing theories of equity long debated by social philosophers. These theories serve as a basis for understanding the complex and often inconsistent notions of fairness that the public and elected officials have regarding the distribution of public resources and particularly transportation investments. Given these competing theories of equity, the authors argue that most conflicts over transportation pricing and finance are rooted in philosophical differences over justice and equity and differing notions of the appropriate units of analysis—individuals, groups, or jurisdictions—for evaluating equity. Accordingly, the authors offer an analytical framework to help planners and policy makers untangle these two issues. This framework transcends the philosophical characterizations of equity to allow for a more practical consideration of transportation finance and pricing fairness. They conclude with a discussion of the lessons offered by some recent debates in transportation pricing and finance for decision makers searching for a fair price for transportation.