PURPOSES : The aim of this study is to develop equitable smart mobility indicators for road infrastructure users based on the recognition of lack of social equity evaluation indicators from the perspective of road infrastructure users.
METHODS : In this study, vertical equity was expressed as the ratio of tolls to users' willingness to pay, depending on the income level. In each area, the time of travels to frequent destinations may differ, depending on the road infrastructure configuration use of tolled and untolled roads. When using tolled roads to save travel time, users have to pay tolls. In this case, the number of tolls that users have to pay and the users’ willingness to pay for tolls in the area based on their income levels were compared to determine vertical equity differences. Here, users' willingness to pay was estimated through a questionnaire survey on the travel time value based on the income level and matched with the income level of the area to determine residents' willingness to pay in the area.
RESULTS : This study reveals that there is a significant difference in social equity for road infrastructure use based on income level. This difference in the indexing was reflected in developing an indicator based on distribution equity.
CONCLUSIONS : The proposed vertical equity assessment method is relatively simple and can be utilized as a tool for establishing policies. As a basic tool for analyzing vertical equity in road pricing, it can be effectively applied to analyzing the vertical equity of road users in countries such as Japan, where tolls for highways are very high, and the United States, where tolls are charged in forms of Turnpike and HOT.