Toward equitable public transportation with pets: Accessing veterinary care under mobility constraints in Hong Kong through taxi fare analysis

Abstract

Equitable access to diverse opportunities for everyone is essential to public transportation. While the mobility for veterinary care visit is pivotal to One Health, pets and their owners often face various barriers in transportation. Despite Hong Kong’s well-received transit-oriented development, pets are strictly prohibited in the major modes of public transport, which is rarely discussed in the literature regarding equitable transportation planning. Therefore, this study examined the variation in Taxi fares to access four different types of veterinary services (general, 24/7, low-cost, and 24/7 low-cost) in Hong Kong using network routing and Geographic Information System. We found that most inaccessible communities to veterinary care mainly include remote rural villages. Moreover, a higher neighborhood household income was associated with a lower Taxi fare to the nearest 24/7 low-cost service in the new growth and rural areas. We further explored several policy recommendations, such as allowing pets on public transport, mobile services, and pet ambulance. Although the effect of travel costs on veterinarian-seeking behavior is inconclusive, this study showcases a novel and holistic examination of transportation barriers to veterinary care through the geographical and financial lens.