Assessing Transportation Insecurity after Disaster: Evidence from Transit Riders Following the 2025 Los Angeles Wildfires

Transportation disruptions can persist after a disaster, yet little is known about who experiences transport challenges during the immediate post-disaster period. Using survey data collected from transit riders one month after the 2025 Los Angeles wildfires, this paper measures these challenges by using the Transportation Security Index. Findings indicate that 41% of respondents were transport insecure post-wildfire, and the odds of being transport insecure were four times higher for evacuees than for people who did not evacuate. Evacuation status was more strongly associated with insecurity than car ownership, a typical proxy for identifying people with additional transportation needs.