Life has improved for David Turner ever since the single father from Pittsburgh bought a 1997 Dodge Intrepid through a Ways to Work loan from the Family Services of Western Pennsylvania. What once was a two-hour, three-bus journey to drop his two daughters off at school and day-care before work has turned into a half-hour trip.

"It's the first reliable car I've had in a long time," said Mr. Turner, who started a new job doing remodeling work about seven months ago. "I don't have to worry about huge time in travel with the girls; I'm able to get to work on time and handle my responsibilities."

Mr. Turner is just one of some 24,000 individuals and families who have benefitted since Ways to Work was launched in 1984 in Minnesota. The program, which lets low-wage workers who either have poor credit or no credit obtain low-interest loans for used cars that they need to get to and from their jobs, now is in place at about 50 human services organizations in 25 states.

It aims not just at helping recipients get a car, but also a decent credit score, a bank account -- and a better life. A study released today shows it's working. Borrowers say their take-home pay has increased an average 41 percent, and more than half the recipients say they were able to get better jobs because of their cars.

The program's success is clearly evident at Family Services, the local social services agency that has expanded its Ways to Work program from loans for 18 cars in 2000 to loans for 86 cars in 2005, making it the largest Ways to Work program in the country. Its 2005 review of the program found that 85 percent of loan recipients were able to increase their salaries and 70 percent improved their credit rating.

"In the old steel industry, jobs were along the river in the cities," said Donald H. Goughler, Family Service's chief executive officer. "Now, most of the jobs are found in the suburbs. New jobs are more accessible because of this program."