Overcoming Transportation Barriers: A Path to Self-Sufficiency

This report details associated transportation barriers experienced by TANF participants in New Jersey. Based on focus groups and interviews conducted with caseworkers and TANF participants, it provides a first-hand look at how transportation barriers limit participants’ employment opportunities. Findings include that approximately one in three participants report losing a job opportunity due to transportation challenges. Lacking adequate public transportation, as well as the ability to afford a car, impedes individuals’ abilities to both find and retain employment. Several suggestions are proposed to help reduce these barriers – including more reliable bus routes, and decreasing the costs of car ownership. This resource also reviews several “best practice” state programs that support low-income families in obtaining vehicles and subsidized public transport.