Transportation barriers and school loyalty: Results from Trellis’ Fall 2021 Student Financial Wellness Survey

Oct 15, 2026

Transportation barriers and school loyalty are examined through Trellis’ Fall 2021 Student Financial Wellness Survey data from 63,751 students across 104 higher education institutions. Findings highlight that more than one in ten students believe their school does not make transportation affordable, and over a fifth of students with cars doubt car reliability. Students who cannot afford transportation are less likely to promote their school. Groups most affected include first-generation students, parents or caregivers, female students, and Black students. Recommendations emphasize affordability, reliability support, transit pass partnerships, and incentives for carpooling and parking.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages4

Reading Time10 min

AccessFree to download

Key Findings

Transportation Costs and Barriers

Survey Findings on Affordability and Reliability

Student Loyalty

Conclusion

Measures

SPOTLIGHT REPORT BRIEF TRELLIS RESEARCH | APRIL 2022 Transportation barriers and school loyalty: Results from Trellis’ Fall 2021 Student Financial Wellness Survey Carla Fletcher, MS and Cassandra Knaff, MA April 2022 Recommended Citation: Fletcher, C., & Knaff, C. (2022) . Transportation barriers and school loyalty: Results from Trellis’ Fall 2021 Student Financial Wellness Survey. Trellis Company. Key Findings • More than one in ten students feel that their school does not make transportation affordable. • Over a fifth of students with cars don’t believe that their car is reliable. • Students who can’t afford transportation are less likely to promote their school to others. • A higher proportion of students who don’t feel supported by their school on making transportation affordable are parents or caregivers to children, first-generation students, or female. • Higher percentages of students with unreliable cars were first-generation college students, male, Black, or parents or caregivers to children. Transportation costs (gas, car maintenance, public transportation, and parking) make up a large part (nearly 20 percent) of college students’ living expenses. i,ii Additionally, many students face long commutes because they lack access toa reliable car and/or rely on inconvenient public transportation. iii Periodic car breakdowns can lead to missed classes and unexpected expenses. Studies conducted in 2021 found that when compared to students who have their transportation costs subsidized and who have access to safe and reliable transportation, students who do not receive subsidies and who do not have access to safe and reliable transportation are less likely to complete courses and finish degrees.iv,v SFWS Fall 2021: Percentage who agree or disagree that their school makes transportation more a ordable.* 36% 15% Agree/ Strongly Agree Disagree/ Strongly Disagree *Responses indicating 'Neutral' are not shown SFWS Fall 2021: Reliability of car (of those with a car)* 76% 21% Reliable/ Very Reliable Somewhat Reliable/ Not At All Reliable *Responses indicating 'I don’t know' are not shown TRELLIS RESEARCH SPOTLIGHT REPORT BRIEF This brief examines transportation data from 63,751 students at 104 higher education institutions that participated in Trellis’ Fall 2021 Student Financial Wellness Survey (SFWS) with a special lens on their loyalty to their school (see page 3 for the measures used) since research suggests that loyal customers are also more likely to continue their [patronage.](patronage.vi)[vi](patronage.vi) Strategies to help students to stay in school and graduate should be informed by how their students get to school. Transportation Affordability and Reliability of Survey Respondents Postsecondary students sometimes feel that their schools do not help make transportation more affordable or reliable for them. In Trellis’ Fall 2021 implementation of the Student Financial Wellness Survey (SFWS), 15 percent of survey respondents felt that their school did not make transportation more affordable. Over three-quarters of respondents (77 percent) reported that they do have a car. Of those with a car, 21 percent of students did not think that their car was reliable. Additionally, students with unreliable cars were less likely to feel that their school makes transportation affordable. Groups of students most likely to have unreliable cars include first-generation students, parents or caregivers to children, Black students, and male students. A higher percentage of those who did not feel like their school makes transportation more affordable said that their car was unreliable (29 percent), compared to those who did feel that their school makes transportation more affordable (20 percent) . Certain groups of students were less likely to believe that their school made transportation more affordable. These include students who were parents or caregivers to children, first-generat

FAQs

What proportion of students report that their school does not make transportation affordable?

More than one in ten students report that their school does not make transportation affordable, with 15% indicating this in the Fall 2021 survey.

How does car reliability relate to students’ perceptions of transportation affordability?

Among students who have cars, 21% do not think their car is reliable. Students with unreliable cars are more likely to report that their school does not make transportation affordable (29% vs. 20% for those who feel it is affordable).

What relationship does the report find between transportation affordability and student loyalty?

Students who disagree that their school makes transportation more affordable are less likely to promote their school. In the Fall 2021 survey, promoters were more common among the Transportation Affordable group (81% vs. 48% detractors in the not-affordable group).

What recommendations does the report suggest to help students stay enrolled?

Schools should develop interventions, collaborate with local transportation agencies to offer free or reduced transit passes funded through grants and student fees, and encourage carpooling through incentives such as priority parking and waived parking fees.

Oct 15, 2026

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