The Problem
The problem we are exploring is related to how those who can not afford reliable transportation struggle to access necessary services and activities, which is a part of a broader problem related to lack of accessibility to necessary services. This includes traveling to their job, getting groceries, dropping off a child at daycare or school, or even for entertainment purposes, as they have no other means of transportation. Our end user is someone who will relies on public transportation due to the inability for our end user to afford personal transportation.
Our end user is the person or group of people we are focusing on specifically to improve their quality of life. They are often in lower-income brackets and typically live any place they can afford. Most lower-income houses are concentrated in the same neighborhoods leading to people of similar incomes living near each other. These low-income neighborhoods, such as in Dallas's Sothern Sector Neighborhoods, have limited methods of public transportation leading to difficulty for lower-income families to access reliable means of transportation.
An in depth exploration of the problem, who it affects, attempted solutions, and justification for our challenge project are included in the "Initial Report" at the bottom of this page.
Our end user is the person or group of people we are focusing on specifically to improve their quality of life. They are often in lower-income brackets and typically live any place they can afford. Most lower-income houses are concentrated in the same neighborhoods leading to people of similar incomes living near each other. These low-income neighborhoods, such as in Dallas's Sothern Sector Neighborhoods, have limited methods of public transportation leading to difficulty for lower-income families to access reliable means of transportation.
An in depth exploration of the problem, who it affects, attempted solutions, and justification for our challenge project are included in the "Initial Report" at the bottom of this page.
Demonstration Video
Our group created a video to demonstrate part of the problem. We used the format of a silent movie, in other words a video with no dialogue. The movie is linked below.
In the movie there is a Whataburger employee who relies on the local bus to get to his job. However to get to the bus stop he must walk a long distance. Once there he has to wait anywhere from 20 to 40 minutes for the bus to arrive. The busses inconsistent schedule takes away time that he could be using to work and earn money. The video shows not the struggle of working a low income job, but instead the struggles that come with relying on public transportation.
In the movie there is a Whataburger employee who relies on the local bus to get to his job. However to get to the bus stop he must walk a long distance. Once there he has to wait anywhere from 20 to 40 minutes for the bus to arrive. The busses inconsistent schedule takes away time that he could be using to work and earn money. The video shows not the struggle of working a low income job, but instead the struggles that come with relying on public transportation.
Why is this problem important to us?
Growing up in the Dallas area, each team member has been given many life changing opportunities. Each member grew up in households with few financial issues and the hardest challenges we had to face were challenges we went into on purpose.
However, thousands of Americans do not have the same privileges as us. These Americans have unsteady incomes and generally grew up in the poverty cycle. The team began researching the cause behind the poverty cycle and found that a lack of reliable transportation can keep Americans stuck in poverty for generations. Without reliable transportation, Americans have trouble keeping jobs and lack access to many necessary serveries like grocery stores, child care, and healthcare.
It was clear to the team that transportation played a large role in limiting the quality of life of many Americans. Thus, the team sought to find new and innovative solutions to improve transportation to those with a low income to give them the same opportunities the majority of Americans take for granted.
However, thousands of Americans do not have the same privileges as us. These Americans have unsteady incomes and generally grew up in the poverty cycle. The team began researching the cause behind the poverty cycle and found that a lack of reliable transportation can keep Americans stuck in poverty for generations. Without reliable transportation, Americans have trouble keeping jobs and lack access to many necessary serveries like grocery stores, child care, and healthcare.
It was clear to the team that transportation played a large role in limiting the quality of life of many Americans. Thus, the team sought to find new and innovative solutions to improve transportation to those with a low income to give them the same opportunities the majority of Americans take for granted.
Research on the ProblemClearly and objectively identify and define the problem you are investigating.
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Pdf. with initial research
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Justification of the ProblemJustification of why the problem is important and parameters that need to be set up.
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Pdf. with Justification of Problem
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Our Report |
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Our report is a synthesis of the research we have done into this problem, it includes defining the problem, justifying the problem, past solutions, and our goals, parameters, and constraints for the solution. The report was reviewed by industry professionals from DART and the NCTCOG whose feedback we took into consideration when writing and revising the report.