Assessment of transport equity to Central Business District (CBD) in Sydney, Australia

Equity in public transport services is becoming a high priority of transport authorities. Although studies regarding accessibility disparity give some insight into transportation equity, to date there has been no profound application of relative accessibility in equity assessment that combines with public transport need related to social status. In addition, accurate estimation of travel times for building relative accessibility still presents a challenge. Therefore, this research aims to investigate and map spatial distributions of public transport-related equity by examining relative accessibility to CBD, public transport needs, and population density. Google Maps Application Programming Interface is used for a realistic estimation of travel times. Results indicate that most socially disadvantaged groups experience high service levels of public transport to CBD, Sydney. However, there are still 16 regions that require further improvement of public transport services. These results can support urban planners in promoting transport equity among different socio-economic groups.