Equity

Shared mobility, autonomous vehicles (AVs), e-commerce, and other developing technologies have the potential to transform how we live, travel, and use land. These transformations could potentially support a more equitable society where everyone benefits from the mobility and conveniences provided by these technologies. However, they could also lead to an even less equitable one, where certain groups are excluded from technology-enabled services or benefits, while simultaneously losing access to the conventional services that technologies replace. The extent to which technologies may address or exacerbate existing inequities is closely tied to how they are implemented.

Access to Mobility

New mobility technologies could have positive equity implications, but it is also possible that these changes could further exacerbate existing inequities in transportation, mobility, and access. On one hand, AVs have the potential to expand mobility for people who have been underserved in the past, such as people with disabilities, seniors, low-income populations, and people living in areas with limited modal options. On the other hand, technological barriers, such as smartphone access and banking access, exist; both are necessary to hail new mobility services. According to a Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation survey, 5.6 million U.S. households were unbanked in 2023 and an additional 19 million were underbanked, meaning that they obtained some financial services outside of the traditional banking system. Older adults, people living in rural areas, and people earning low incomes are also less likely to own a smartphone, or have a data plan needed to access many mobile technologies or services. Without access to smartphones, data plans, and credit/debit cards, new mobility technologies could widen the existing mobility divide rather than shrinking it. Without intentional policies, shared mobility and AV services risk benefiting higher-income users while neglecting marginalized communities. Thoughtful fare models, accessibility measures, and inclusive outreach can help bridge this gap. Additionally, ensuring that travelers with specific transportation needs—such as wheelchair accessible vehicles or service animals—will also be imperative to ensure that all people have robust travel options.

Effects on Transit

How the relationship between for-hire vehicles and transit unfolds will prove critical for equity. Transportation network companies (TNCs), AVs, and other such services may improve transit access, boosting mobility for people without cars. For example, low-income people without cars often use TNCs to fill temporal or geographic gaps in transit service. Efforts to better integrate these services with transit have been increasing, with a number examples of TNC and transit agency partnerships, including using TNCs to bolster paratransit access. However, there is also evidence to suggest that the growth of TNCs is correlated with declining transit ridership.

Shifting Housing Affordability

Shifts in vehicle and parking use and geography could also alter the urban footprint, land use, and real estate; such alterations would likely affect housing costs and shift the landscape of housing affordability. This is particularly relevant for parking, which increases housing costs, and which could shift under widespread adoption of AVs. One risk is the continued suburbanization of poverty, which could exacerbate the combined housing and transportation financial burden that low-income households bear and limit transportation options for those living in far-flung suburbs, particularly for people without cars. Alternatively, changes in parking geographies could lower housing costs in job-rich areas and may enable lower-income individuals to better afford areas with the most multimodal travel options.

Labor Impacts

The commercial deployment of AVs may have serious and far-reaching labor impacts. One group of workers that may be displaced by AVs are truckers and for-hire drivers. Depending on the rate of adoption, autonomous trucks and cars could directly eliminate 1.3 to 2.3 million workers’ jobs over the next 30 years in the U.S. This could raise the annual unemployment rate by 0.1% and lower the overall labor participation rate annually. Even if technological advancements have the potential to create thousands of new jobs, many of the new roles that are created will require higher skills and education, which could be a barrier to retraining displaced employees for those positions. A 2025 Urbanism Next report highlights the need for adaptive strategies to address job displacement in traditional driving roles, recommending robust retraining and local job creation initiatives to prepare communities for emerging roles in fleet management, maintenance, cybersecurity, and beyond.

Environmental Justice Issues

The location of fleet storage and electric charging infrastructure may pose access challenges or environmental justice issues. Low-income neighborhoods may not receive an adequate share of charging infrastructure to have access to EVs and AVs. Further, if fleet storage is concentrated near low-income neighborhoods or communities of color this could disproportionately burden these populations with vehicle traffic, emissions, and noise. Other technologies such as e-commerce could also contribute to this disparity through the development of last-mile delivery warehouses and other types of freight infrastructure in these areas.