UCLA Institute of Transportation Studies

Transportation is often necessary for accessing food, medical care, income, and other essential services. This study examines how nine major benefit programs serving low-income households in Los Angeles County, including CalFresh, Medi-Cal, CalWORKs, and transportation-specific programs like Metro LIFE and Metrolink Mobility-4-All, currently support transportation access. Within each program, this analysis evaluates transportation support, enrollment accessibility, and opportunities for integrating transportation across benefit programs. The results show that seven of the nine programs offer some form of transportation benefit, but the level and nature of support for mobility needs vary widely. This analysis defines meaningful transportation access as the ability to use multiple modes of transportation and reach various types of destinations. While most programs offer some form of mobility assistance, these benefits are typically limited to a single mode or destination type, and therefore do not achieve comprehensive transportation access. Without this level of access, low-income individuals, in particular, are left with limited, and often inadequate, options for reaching essential services such as food, healthcare, or employment. This paper concludes with near- and long-term policy recommendations to improve coordination, enhance communication, and draw on other pilots that consolidate transportation benefits into a more coherent, accessible system. The findings highlight how aligning mobility with benefit delivery is essential for building an equitable and effective support system.