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Do people with similar types of disability travel the same? An examination of the variability of mode choice among people with travel-limiting disabilities - People with different travel-limiting disabilities vary in their travel behavior and needs. Few studies have examined how such behavior varies among people with different types of travel-limiting disabilities and the kinds of mobility aids they use. This study explores how mode choice varies among people with different types of travel-limiting disabilities analyzing National Household Travel Survey California Add-on 2017 data. We categorized the sample into whether the respondent had a travel-limiting disability and, if they did, which kind of mobility aid they used, if any. We examined the variation in mode choice and travel distance by mobility devices used (and not used) together with socioeconomic and household characteristics through cross-tabulation. The percentage of people with travel-limiting disabilities who carpool is higher than driving alone; in particular, significantly more wheelchair users carpool than drive themselves. People who have travel-limiting disabilities but do not use mobility aids and people with travel-limiting disabilities have similar mode share of carpool and public transit but a higher of driving alone for people without travel-limiting disabilities. When cane and crutch/walker users are employed, they have a higher propensity to drive more and a lower propensity to carpool than those who are not employed. We did not observe any significant differences in the mode share of carpooling among different mobility aid users who are white, but the percentage of people who carpool is higher among Black and Hispanic wheelchair users than Black and Hispanic respondents who use other mobility aids. Among middle and low-income households, the percentage of cane and crutch/walker users who walk and use public transit is significantly higher than low-income households. Noticeably, among households with higher incomes, the mode share of carpooling is significantly higher among users of considered mobility aids than among people without travel-limiting disabilities.In carless households, public transit use is significantly higher for different mobility aid users, particularly for cane and crutch/walker users. The mode share of public transit is six and ten times higher than that of mobility aid users from households owning a car. The percentage of considered mobility aid users who travel by walking and bus is significantly higher in urban areas than in rural areas. The average walking distance of wheelchairs and motorized devices is around half of that of other mobility aid users, and the average travel distance by public transport is relatively higher among wheelchair users than other mobility aid users. Based on our findings, we recommend increasing the availability of accessibility of public transport, specifically in rural areas where the modal share of the buses is lower among mobility aid users. Developing carpooling programs, with due provision of accessibility features, to serve people with travel-limiting disabilities can improve their mobility. Transit programs can be expanded to mobility aid users in carless households given their high public transit dependency.
