Transit planning and social (in)justice: an equity and accessibility analysis of IndyGo's BRT system

The Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system has become a popular sustainable mass transport system globally in recent decades. Its unique features that promote sustainable mobility have made it widely embraced. Additionally, it offers progressive benefits such as improving access to social amenities for everyone, especially households with no car available and people living below the poverty line. Therefore, the aim of this study is to assess the equity of accessibility to social amenities across different socio-economic groups within a 20-minute walking distance of IndyGo's Red Line stations. This study employed a quantitative methodological approach, using spatial and statistical methods, to assess the effects of the Red Line on vertical equity. A GIS-based network analysis (service area analysis and O-D cost matrix analysis) was used to estimate physical accessibility while Lorenz curve and Gini-index were used to measure inequity levels across census block groups within the study area. It was found that the Red Line in Indianapolis has succeeded in promoting equity within the population it was meant to serve in terms of physical accessibility to social amenities with all census block group within the service area having equal access of a 30-minute drive time.