My experience perfectly matches what you describe about transportation and upward mobility. About 2.5 years ago, I decided to take action on my years long substance abuse problem and check into a residential rehab facility. It was a 12 month program, so before going in, I sold my vehicle which I had financed and was halfway through the note.
Unfortunately, on the first day in the program, I fell and shattered a bone requiring multiple reconstructive surgeries. I live in a rural area in middle GA where there are few jobs within walking distance, and the ones that exist are low wage. I still do not have a car. I still work part time.
I am competent. I have managed multiple businesses in my past. I have worked technical jobs. I simply have little access to work without a car. I walk or ride a bike everywhere. My current job requires me to bike five miles each direction to work a five hour shift. That’s a 30 minute bike ride, rain or shine. It gets pretty hot in GA in the Summer.
Once I do get a vehicle, my gap in coverage will demand a premium over those who have been fortunate enough to maintain stability.
While my personal experience does not directly speak to this, your article shows the intersectionality at play between economic class, race, and gender. If you’re poor, you’re likely to be in a zone rated with higher risk, so charged more by insurance companies. You’re also likely to be a minority or a single female. Also likely to be renting instead of buying. So you’re not accumulating wealth. No mortgage-based tax breaks. You’re biased against in job interviews. You’re limited in job horizons due to low transportation access.
In a system built by the wealthy to benefit the wealthy, at every step, small as it may be, the tables become stacked heavily against upward mobility, and it adds up tremendously. I only lift a small portion, and the weight is heavy.
