Public transit and labor market outcomes: Analysis of the connections in the French agglomeration of Bordeaux

This paper investigates the links between public transport and labor market outcomes in the French agglomeration of Bordeaux. Our objective is to analyze the effects and consequences of the construction of a tramway line in some neighborhoods and municipalities of the agglomeration. These localizations are confronted to isolation and concentration of unfavorable socio-economic characteristics. Among other things, this line has permitted to facilitate the access to the historical job center of Bordeaux for inhabitants concerned. We use difference-in-differences methods to compare labor market outcomes of inhabitants who benefit from this better access with others who do not, before and after the construction. Results show that if unemployment rate has globally decreased on the period observed, the decrease is more important for neighborhoods located close to tramway stations. More generally, it seems that the tramway project helped to reduce some socio-economic inequalities in the agglomeration of Bordeaux.