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Transport for older people: Characteristics and solutions
Abstract
Entering the 21st century, one of the most significant demographic changes in developed countries is the aging of the population. Travel is an important aspect of older people's economic well-being, so with the aging of the population, improving transport for older people is increasingly important. This article presents the results of a study of older people's travel behaviour based largely but not exclusively on LATS (London Area Travel Survey) 2001 data. The focus is on older people's trip chaining behaviour, including trip chain complexity, trip purpose sequence and mode choice in a chain. After identifying the policy implications it looks at the role of Special Transport Services in improving the supply of transport for older people, taking the London Borough of Camden as a case study.
... There is an increasing need for social support, and the government has required companies to consider the physical and cognitive difficulties of elderly customers (Cheng, 2021). An efficient transportation system is vital to elderly people, as it enables them to maintain an adequate quality of life and social inclusion (Banister and Bowling, 2004;Su and Bell, 2009). Elderly people in China rely mostly on HSR for long-distance trips (Zhao et al., 2018). ...
... Georggi and Pendyala (2001) examined the long-distance travel behaviors of elderly people in the United States and found that as the studied elderly people aged, their travel frequency decreased and their average trip length increased. This trend of increasing intercity trip length is different from the pattern observed in the intracity trip length of elderly people (Su and Bell, 2009;Liu et al., 2017;Szeto et al., 2017). In addition, Jang and Wu (2006) found that healthy elderly people in Taiwan were more likely than unhealthy elderly people to make a long-distance trip. ...
... Elderly passengers, most of whom are retired, undertake no business or work trips; therefore, they can design their trips in advance. Even for leisure trips, younger passengers' travel plans may be limited by their need to work, whereas elderly passengers have more freedom to adjust their travel schedules (Su and Bell, 2009). Thus, elderly passengers confirm their travel plans earlier than younger people, which may explain this difference in booking day between elderly and non-elderly passengers. ...
Mobility is important for the well-being of the elderly, as it enables them to maintain social connections and enjoy a good quality of life. High-speed rail (HSR) is an important transportation mode in China, and considering China's aging population, HSR operators must offer convenient services to elderly people to enhance their mobility. This study analyzed HSR ticket-booking records to examine the ticket-booking patterns of elderly passengers in two China delta regions (the Pearl River Delta and the Yangtze River Delta). The results show that male and female younger elderly passengers (i.e., those aged 60–69) differed in their HSR travel preferences (e.g., seat type and booking day), whereas these inter-gender differences were less significant among elderly passengers aged 70 and over. Furthermore, compared with the younger passengers (whose ages were less than 60 years), elderly passengers tended to avoid night trips and were more likely to travel with companions. However, the positive effects of group support were often hindered by ticket-selling limitations that prevented elderly passengers from sitting together. The findings indicate that elderly people in the two regions experience barriers to HSR travel, and we provide suggestions to improve their HSR travel mobility.
... Older adults reported preferring trips to well-known places with respect to unfamiliar places [14]. They reported preferring less complex trips (e.g., involving only one destination at a time rather than multiple destinations), and using public transportation less [15]. These spatial behaviors and experiences could reflect older adults' tendency to minimize the experience of getting lost [8,16]. ...
... Overall, aging changes people's spatial behaviors, such as their mobility [11], experiences of reaching places or getting lost [8,15], and the use of navigation aids [8,34]. Such navigation-based spatial behaviors could relate to individual factors other than age, however. ...
... The present study started from the premise that self-reported spatial behaviors could be informative of people's navigation difficulties related to their objective spatial abilities [8,9]. The literature showed age changes-namely increasing age from youth to older age-in selfreported orientation experiences (such as mobility [11] and the experiences of reaching places or getting lost [8,15]) and in the use of navigation aids (such as maps [34] or GPS [8]). Apart from age, an adequate spatial profile [18,48] in terms of spatial abilities (VSWM) and inclinations could support functional spatial behaviors. ...
Spatial orientation is essential for daily life, but it deteriorates with aging. The present study was aimed at investigating age changes across the adult lifespan in the self-reported use of navigation aids and everyday orientation experiences, as well as investigating to what extent these are related to visuospatial working memory (VSWM) and self-reported wayfinding inclinations. A sample of 456 people aged 25–84 years rated how much they use navigation aids (maps, GPS, verbal directions), how much they went out, and how much they reached or lost their way to unfamiliar destinations (in 2016). Then, they performed the jigsaw puzzle test (VSWM) and questionnaires on sense of direction, pleasure in exploring, and spatial anxiety. The results showed that increasing age is related to a lower tendency to go out, fewer experiences of finding one’s way and getting lost, a lower level of GPS use, and increased verbal directions use. After age changes were accounted for, VSWM was related to aid use and orientation experiences (except for losing one’s way), wayfinding inclinations (especially spatial anxiety) to using a map, and orientation experiences. Overall, other than age, VSWM and one’s wayfinding attitudes can play a role–albeit it a modest one–in spatial behaviors.
... due to their attitudes, economic status, situation or environment. The attitude and requirements for mobility are far from being homogeneous within the older population, but rather vary considerably from one individual to the other (Su and Bell, 2009;Shrestha et al., 2017). A study of the Federal Highway Research Institute Germany (Holte, 2020) clustered seniors into different types regarding their lifestyle. ...
... Accordingly, seniors in rural areas are making fewer but longer trips per day than seniors in urban areas and are more inclined to travel in company. Moreover, the trips of older people in rural areas are more complex than in urban ones, as they tend to link several different activities (Hildebrand et al., 2004;Su and Bell, 2009). In many Western societies, the private car is the predominant mode of transport. ...
... In comparison to younger users, which preferred the DRT system over a scheduled bus, the older respondents were neutral on average. Their findings are in line with related work (such as Shrestha et al. (2017), Wong et al. (2017) and Su and Bell (2009). ...
Mobility and transportation service requirements change with growing age. Also in a car-based society like Germany many seniors need to give up driving the car and are dependent on relatives or public transport. Especially in rural areas, the accessibility of public transport is often limited. Demand responsive transportation has occasionally been proposed by researchers as a viable alternative to stop-, route- and time-based public transportation to address such problems. This case study analyses passenger data from the true DRT system EcoBus to identify distinct drivers of old passengers’ satisfaction compared to other passengers. Contrary to existing literature, older people stated to be even more satisfied with the service then younger travellers did. Moreover, older travellers tend to travel alone, but showed slightly higher satisfaction when travelling in groups. The results suggest that older people might be more open-minded and positive regarding flexible public transport schemes than expected.
... Several authors point out the importance of public transportation for the elderly. Since their driving ability is decreasing, public transport (Faber & van Lierop, 2020) and walking is more important for their independence (Su, 2009). ...
... Alternatives for car transport include public transport; rides from family members, friends, and neighbors; walking; taxi; specialized transport services as well as community transport which is door-to-door transport run by the community and voluntary groups; personal electric vehicles (scooters), etc. (Davey, 2006;Maynard, 2009;Su & Bell, 2009), with many advantages and disadvantages. Some authors also mention autonomous vehicles: automated public transport with fixed schedules, routes, and timetables; automated on-demand public transport; fleet-based shared automated vehicles; and privately-owned automated vehicles (Faber & van Lierop, 2020). ...
... Researches have been conducted around the world on the transportation habits of older persons. It is found that older people with high incomes are less likely to use public transport (Su & Bell, 2009: 54). Su and Bell mention that travel cost has a bigger effect than travel time since older people have more time and often less money, they tend to choose alternatives that are cheaper but with longer travel times. ...
Older persons naturally become less mobile (due to their age, health, lower income,
etc.). However, does age necessarily have to mean the termination of traveling and use
of transport? Whether drivers, pedestrians, or passengers, each of these forms carries
specific issues and problems for the elderly. Although they have more free time, it often
happens that because of reduced mobility and inaccessibility of public transport older
persons stay at home. This not only limits the quality of their life in the tourist, leisure,
cultural and social sense, but can also have an impact on the quality of getting e.g. health
care. For these reasons, mobility is important to them and therefore transport must be
easily accessible and adjusted for use. To use public transport in the best possible way, all
passengers, and especially the elderly, must be familiar with the rights specifically provided
for them and the procedures for exercising them. Progress has been made within
the European Union to protect the rights of older passengers. Specifically, the European
Union has adopted regulations to guarantee additional rights for persons with disabilities
and persons with reduced mobility (including the elderly). A particular problem
regarding older persons in transport is related to traffic safety issues. Statistics show
‘interesting’ data when it comes to the elderly, whether they were involved in traffic accidents
as drivers or pedestrians. The most important problems related to mobility and
public transport are presented in the paper. The paper also analyzes the most important
provisions of European regulations on the rights of passengers with reduced mobility.
Data on road accidents involving the older persons are also analyzed and an attempt is
made to answer whether they are a threat to road safety. Finally, certain measures will
be proposed to reduce the inaccessibility and unavailability of public transport. It is also
suggested to conduct additional research on the number of older persons traveling and
the problems encountered in transport.
... As a result, a number of studies examine traditional approaches to the problem and focus of transport need for older people (Alonso et al., 2013;Hounsell, Shrestha, McDonald, & Wong, 2016;Shrestha, Millonig, Hounsell, & McDonald, 2016). A separate line of research centres on elderly attitude to travel (Li, Raeside, Chen, & McQuaid, 2012;Luiu, Tight, & Burrow, 2018c) while other core pieces examine population trend, ageing affect and economic life and well-being in the twenty-first century (Su & Bell, 2009). Evidence has mounted that proactive and thorough planning is needed to ensure senior citizens' safe, lifelong mobility (Nordbakke & Schwanen, 2015). ...
... With age, older people start to walk more and use more public transport (Bundesministerium für Verkehr und digitale Infrastruktur, 2019). The importance of walking and public transport for older persons' sense of independence is highlighted in research carried out in the London area, noting policy implications to mode choice as highly important (Su & Bell, 2009). ...
... Innovative actions fall into three categories: top-down government facilitation (i.e., regulation and education), societal incentives (i.e., voluntary activities) and self-developed service providers catered via local community efforts (i.e., bottom-up schemes). As suggested by Su and Bell (2009), strategies to improve alternative transport options point toward the inclusion of new mobility services and promotion of awareness. Another dimension, worth noting, are the differences between urban, peri-urban and rural environments, since rural areas experience, in general, significantly poorer transport accessibility -exacerbated by the elderly (Preston & Rajé, 2007). ...
Recently published transport innovation, transport service, mobility narratives and transportation alternatives literature focus on mounting needs for older people in reflection of increasing longevity and active and healthier lifestyles over previous generations. The aim of this review is to raise awareness and stress the knowledge gap on the importance of transport innovations for this age group, particularly in regards to needs and innovative requisites (i.e., vehicle, transport infrastructure and organisational makeup). A scoping literature search identified 106 publications as relevant literature from the more than 2500 reviewed publications. Transport need for the elderly is discussed by way of accessibility, affordability, availability and acceptability. Vehicle innovation examines pedestrian data, vehicle design (i.e., private cars and vehicles in public transport), fixed route services, paratransit vehicles and slow mode alternatives such as cycling, motorised mobility scooters and powered wheelchairs. Transport infrastructure innovation takes into account technical infrastructural adjustments, related recommendations and guidelines and specific solutions for peri-urban and rural areas. Organisational innovation investigates governmental support mechanisms, legislation, financial limitations, education and social-based training and internet as well as relating information and communication technology-based findings. Vast majority of the research is centric to developed countries. Identified gaps in the literature and novel areas for future research are examined.
... Furthermore, many of the health issues that come with ageing are associated with greater negative effects for public transport use than for car use (Hjorthol, 2013). Older people face a myriad of issues such as boarding and alighting, access to stops and stations and unsuitable timetables while using and attempting to use public transport, with such issues often inhibiting older people from participating in desired activities (Wretstrand et al., 2009;Nordbakke and Schwanen, 2015;Su and Bell, 2009;cf. Luiu et al., 2017 for a review). ...
... The specific deficiencies mentioned in Kasper and Scheiner's (2002) study were problems with timetables, ticket machines and insufficient connections which are, again, similar to the issues raised by our respondents (infrequent service, complications, lack of connections, the timetable not fitting with activities). Su and Bell (2009) had similar findings, with their results shaped around problems with frequency, unreliability and unsuitable timetables. ...
... This corresponds with findings of associations between the more remote geographical location of a person's home and having a reduced number of mobility opportunities (Paez et al., 2007), with older people who report having more transport problems found to live in more remote or rural areas (Delbosc and Currie, 2011). Many of the responses were characterised by reports of poor frequency, poor connections and the public transport schedules not suiting the respondents' activity schedules (similar to the problems highlighted by Kasper and Scheiner (2002) and Su and Bell (2009)). These results emphasise the difficulties people can have in deciphering complicated systems and the losses (in passengers and in passenger time) that are made through complicated routes with many changes. ...
The aim of this study is to explore the links between modal options and opportunities to participate in everyday activities among people aged 65–79 and living in Sweden’s large metropolitan regions (Stockholm, Gothenburg and Malmö). This incorporated a specific focus on those considered at a greater risk of transport-related social exclusion. This study applies the Capability Approach as a conceptual framework and employs a mixed methods element. A multinomial logistic regression was conducted in order to identify the characteristics associated with the respective modal options. Five independent variables produced statistically significant results: cohabiting, perceived health condition, income, region of residence and gender. Findings indicate a lower level of satisfaction with both the quantity and quality of modal options among those who do not have public transport as a modal option. The results suggest that those who do not have public transport as a modal option are less inclined to have the capability of carrying out all everyday activities of value. The qualitative strand uncovers the salience of the absence of having the possibility to carry out active physical exercise, with many highlighting that health issues and transport/infrastructure problems constitute barriers to having the possibility to participate in such activities. Deficiencies in the public transport service was the most common reason provided as to why public transport is not a modal option for some. These results bring us closer to understanding the role different modal options can have in facilitating capabilities of value and continued participation in society among older people.
... Indeed, spontaneous travel for leisure, social and shopping activities is often unachievable [19,99,100]. Several studies have shown that older people have more time to spend than younger people and to some extent they can adjust their schedules around public transport availability [49,101]. Nonetheless, public transport services are considered unreliable due to lack of provision during off-peak times (e.g., weekend or holidays). ...
... Nonetheless, public transport services are considered unreliable due to lack of provision during off-peak times (e.g., weekend or holidays). Moreover, older people report dissatisfaction with the locations of stops, punctuality and waiting times and poor connectivity with other buses and/or transport modes [5,41,43,47,49,51,54,63,68,69,81,84]. This was found particularly valid for suburban or rural areas [18,35,41]. ...
... Bus stop density and locations also affect mobility problems. Inappropriate locations as well as the distance of stops from both home and destination may require an amount of walking that could deter older people from using public transport [2,19,23,47,[49][50][51][52]64,81,85]. ...
Recent research related to transport gerontology argues that the autonomy, flexibility and independence provided by the car are fundamental in fulfilling travel needs in later life. Statistics show that in the western world the car is the most used mode of travel among the older population. Despite the importance of promoting transport policies to incentivize people to switch to more sustainable forms of transportation, alternatives to the car are still underused by older people. The aim of this scoping review is to analyze the transport barriers affecting the use of alternative modes to the car in later life. The paper investigates how issues related to personal security, health impairments, service provision, affordability, comfort, attitude, built environment, information and awareness of all transport modes influence modal choice. The analysis of the literature shows that despite the benefits provided by public transport, flexible transport services, taxis, walking and cycling, there are still several factors that negatively affect the use of these modes. The paper concludes by reflecting on potential solutions that might help to create a transport system less reliant on the car and which is able to meet the mobility needs of the older population.
... Distance to the closest public transport stop was a factor analysed in several studies (Kim et al., 2014;Nordbakke, 2013;Nordbakke and Schwanen, 2014a). This is likely due to the fact that density and location of bus/tram stops or train station from both home and destination might require a physical effort that could deter or prevent older people from using public transport (Broome et al., 2010;Davey, 2007;Su and Bell, 2009;Wretstrand et al., 2009). Moreover, the form of the built environment, often designed for vehicles rather than human mobility, can create a barrier to walking and cycling activities, due to the development of phenomena such as community severance or the lack of adequate infrastructures (Mindell et al., 2011;Rosenbloom, 2009;Ryan et al., 2016). ...
... Socio-economic factors are identified as personal or household income, education and employment status. Low income during later life has been found to be associated with constraints of both modal choice and travel frequency due to cost issues as well as the ability to run a car (Knight et al., 2007;Su and Bell, 2009;WS Atkins, 2001). Scheiner (2006) found employment status to have an impact on unfulfilled mobility, probably due to the limited amount of free time available to carry out desired activities. ...
... Scheiner (2006) found employment status to have an impact on unfulfilled mobility, probably due to the limited amount of free time available to carry out desired activities. The vast majority of the older population is retired, and consequently they have greater possibility to adjust their schedules according to their needs due to more free time available (Su and Bell, 2009). Nonetheless, the demographic changes mentioned above might have an impact on delaying retirement age in the near future, with consequent potential impacts in terms of mobility fulfilment. ...
This study proposes a conceptual framework for improving the evaluation of unmet travel needs amongst the older population. Unmet travel needs can be defined as mobility needs that remain unfulfilled due to the inability of accomplishing needed or wished trips and activities. Gerontological and transport research are putting increasing focus on the role that mobility plays in later life. Analyses of studies investigating the relationship between ageing and mobility reveal that these are generally characterised by relying only on realised journeys and activities. However, very little has been investigated so far in terms of unrealised mobility and often where it has been investigated, with different approaches and results. This article, by means of a methodological assessment of approaches used in the literature, develops a conceptual framework that can be used to investigate which mobility needs remain unfulfilled in later life. Firstly, the concept of mobility needs in later life is addressed. This concept is then used to evaluate the most appropriate method(s) to investigate factors which influence unmet travel needs. Five main domains are identified as necessary to be considered with regard to mobility during later life: transportation; health and wellbeing; built environment; type and importance of activities and demographic background characteristics. The study concludes that an inclusive approach which considers all of the domains is needed to better define the full dimension of mobility needs among the older population.
... In general, the determinants mainly include socio-demographic attributes and travel environment attribute. Many studies have showed socio-demographic characteristics, such as age, gender, income level, educational level and household size of individuals have a significant effect on the travel behaviours (Golob & Hensher, 2007;Petterssona & Schmöckerb, 2010;Rafiq & McNally, 2020;Su & Bell, 2009;Susilo & Kitamura, 2008;Zhang et al., 2007). In addition, travel environment attributes, such as density, diversity, design, destination and distance to public transit stop, are considered as important factors affecting travel behaviours. ...
... In addition, travel environment attributes, such as density, diversity, design, destination and distance to public transit stop, are considered as important factors affecting travel behaviours. (Daisy et al., 2018;Kitamura & Susilo, 2005;Petterssona & Schmöckerb, 2010;Su & Bell, 2009;Winters et al., 2015). ...
This research aims to investigate the difference of the travel behaviours of the elderly in different urban areas. On the basis of the results of cluster analysis, the nested logit (NL) model is adopted to investigate the travel decision of the elderly in central urban areas and non-central urban areas. Moreover, it is used to forecast the change of their travel behaviours by implementing the policies of age-friendly society. The results show that the elderly in central urban areas are inclined to decide travel modes in advanced of determining trip chains, while the trip chains are first determined in non-central urban areas. For the central urban areas, the policies mainly affect the choice of travel modes of the elderly, rather than the choice of trip chains. However, for the non-central urban area, the policies simultaneously influence the choice of travel mode and trip chains of the elderly. Based on the results of the forecast, some measures are proposed in this study to meet different travel requirements of the elderly in central urban areas and non-central urban areas.
... On the other hand, older adults today use cars more often than their predecessors due to the greater availability of cars and the higher share of drivers in the population. Driving as a driver or co-driver is quite popular [29]. However, low-density development, especially in the USA, is connected to the locational flexibility of automobile and the associated road network, thus unfavorably affecting human health, social welfare, and ecological conditions [28]. ...
... A number of respondents have pointed out the inability to access public transport due to the height difference of the pavement and bus access, which they cannot overcome. This seems to confirm previous findings of cars being the basic form of transport in smaller-density neighborhoods [29] for the purpose of purchases and other activities. In the Old Town, the number of respondents using public transport is much higher (29 out of 51). ...
Social, political and economic changes have generated processes of revitalization of the built environment in post-socialist countries since the beginning of the 1990s; these changes are related to the physical structure of the city, its facilities and its functions, as well as the city landscape. Urban planning affects people’s quality of and way of life, as well as residential satisfaction with the built environment, especially that of older people, who make up a significant part of sustainable communities. This paper examines the residential satisfaction of older adults in terms of mobility—that is, their ability to move using facilities offered by public transportation and public places—in two neighborhoods of Novi Sad which have undergone the most extensive urban regeneration. This approach is different from the existing urban studies dealing with residential satisfaction, which makes it a contribution to the literature. Unlike previous studies—which have explored residential satisfaction at the level of accessibility to local facilities, safety in the urban environment and support from the environment—this paper also investigates the impact of movement in public space on the residential satisfaction of older people. The results show that the residential satisfaction of older people is low with regard to public transport, the arrangement of public spaces and traffic infrastructure.
... This corresponds with findings of associations between the more remote geographical location of a person's home and having a reduced number of mobility opportunities (Paez et al. 2007), with older people who report having more transport problems found to live in more remote or rural areas (Delbosc and Currie 2011). Several of the responses were characterised by reports of poor frequency, poor connections and the public transport schedules not suiting the respondents' activity schedules (similar to the problems highlighted by Kasper and Scheiner (2002) and Su and Bell (2009)). These results emphasise the difficulties people can have in deciphering complicated systems and the losses (in passengers and in passenger time) that are made through complicated routes with many changes. ...
... The specific deficiencies mentioned in Kasper and Scheiner's (2002) study were problems with timetables, ticket machines and insufficient connections which are, again, similar to the issues raised by our respondents (infrequent service, complications, lack of connections, the timetable not fitting with activities). Su and Bell (2009) had similar findings, with their results shaped around problems with frequency, unreliability and unsuitable timetables. ...
... If improvements are made, this factor could increase the service performance and, consequently, the satisfaction of all user groups. A previous study analyzed the mode of transportation used by the elderly and found that the elderly choose cheaper modes of transportation, and travel time was less important [28]. Similar to Yu-ChunChang's research [15], the authors stated that elderly people, compared to the non-elderly, have more time and less income, so they are more interested in prices than waiting time. ...
... Convenience and service access Hu and Wang [14] surveyed the travel behaviors of Chinese elderly people and found that walking was most popular, followed by public transport, then other travel modes, which included bicycles, private vehicle, and taxis. This is inconsistent with Su and Bell [28], who stated that as people age, the conditions for their travel mode change. In terms of the public transport in Thailand, our findings suggested that the requirements for transportation mode are consistent with the physical characteristics of the elderly such as the height of step from the floor to the vehicle is suitable to facilitate their boarding and disembarking (C5). ...
Due to the rapid increase in population and the change in age structure toward the elderly, the phenomenon of societal ageing is being witnessed in many countries. The elderly travel less than the adult population due to decreasing mobility with an increasing age. In this study, we aimed to analyze the expectations and satisfaction of public transport users in Thailand using traditional importance performance analysis (IPA), gap analysis, and IPA integrated with competitor performance. We aimed to explain the differences in the analysis results produced by the three methods. The data were obtained from surveying 2250 elderly and 450 non-elderly adults. This study presents guidelines for improving the public transport service quality in Thailand to meet user needs. The results of this research showed that each approach provides its own distinctive aspects and theoretical differences, which lead to different interpretations. The results from the three approaches showed that equipment that increases safety for public transportation service users is an important factor for all elderly passengers that must be improved. Public transportation services in different regions should be developed to provide more reliable and regular services.
... The elderly generally have different mobility patterns than other demographic groups. For instance, the elderly tend to have irregular trip plans, make fewer trips per day, with lower average trip distance (Moniruzzaman, Páez, Nurul Habib, & Morency, 2013;Rosenbloom, 2010;Su & Bell, 2009;. These differences may stem from the lack of work-related trips and reduced income (Mollenkopf et al., 1997;Whelan, Langford, Oxley, Koppel, & Charlton, 2006). ...
... Still, private cars are preferred because of their convenience. Su and Bell (2009) report travel costs are better predictors of the elderly's travel mode choice than travel time. Also, the provision of bus stops close to home appears to be more effective in encouraging the elderly to use public transport than an increase in bus frequency. ...
The ageing of the population poses mobility-related challenges worldwide. The emergence of new transport services that utilise technological innovations allows for new, more convenient ways to provide demand-responsive transport services in areas with limited or no regular public transport service. The question is how the
features of these new services are preferred by all age groups, in particular, those with limited mobility, such as the elderly.
In this study, we evaluate the preference of the elderly toward Breng flex, a smart Demand Responsive Transport (DRT) service offered in two adjacent Dutch cities and their surroundings. We combine results from expert interviews (n=4), a face-to-face survey with elderly non-users of Breng flex (n=38), and an online survey of Breng flex users of all ages (n=958). The results illustrate fourteen features of smart forms of DRT that are preferred by the elderly, three of which are identified here for the first time. We discuss the trade-off between
various features for the case study area and make suggestions regarding the design of a mobility service that can improve accessibility of the elderly.
... The elderly generally have different mobility patterns than other demographic groups. For instance, the elderly tend to have irregular trip plans, make fewer trips per day, with lower average trip distance (Moniruzzaman et al. , 2013;Rosenbloom, 2010;Su & Bell, 2009;. These differences may stem from the lack of work-related trips and reduced income (Mollenkopf et al., 1997;Whelan et al., 2006). ...
... Still, private cars are preferred because of their convenience. Su & Bell (2009) report travel costs are better predictors of the elderly's travel mode choice than travel time. Also, the provision of bus stops close to home appears to be more effective in encouraging the elderly to use public transport than an increase in bus frequency. ...
The ageing of the population poses mobility-related challenges worldwide. The emergence of new transport services that utilise technological innovations allows for new, more convenient ways to provide demand-responsive transport services in areas with limited or no regular public transport service. The question is how the features of these new services are preferred by all age groups, in particular, those with limited mobility, such as the elderly. In this study, we evaluate the preference of the elderly towards Breng flex, a smart Demand Responsive Transport (DRT) service offered in two adjacent Dutch cities and their surroundings. We combine results from expert interviews (n = 4), a face-to-face survey with elderly non-users of Breng flex (n = 38), and an online survey of Breng flex users of all ages (n = 958). The results illustrate fourteen features of smart forms of DRT that are preferred by the elderly, three of which are identified here for the first time. We discuss the trade-off between various features for the case study area and make suggestions regarding the design of a mobility service that can improve accessibility of the elderly.
... Another limitation of this study is the cross-sectional nature of some of the reviewed reports. As mentioned in the introduction of this paper, public transport use does not only confer health benefits, but also older adults that are less healthy are less likely to be (frequent) public transport users (6,56). This reverse causality is hard to distinguish in a cross-sectional design. ...
... However, the literature has mainly studied the quality of Life (QoL) rather than wellbeing concerning transport accessibility (Delbosc, 2012). Su and Bell (2009) point out that older people have more time to spend and would be more willing to accept a longer trip in exchange for a lower ticket price. Nevertheless, Jackson et al. (2019) argued that the free bus pass policy, as a means to increase bus use by older people in the UK, will influence social interactions and physical activity levels based on the assumption that these factors consist part of the wellbeing measure. ...
The Covid-19 pandemic has impacted older adults in terms of both physical (high mortality rate) and psychological health. In these challenging times more than ever, exploring which dimensions affect the older people's subjective wellbeing is relevant. As the literature has shown, older people prefer to age in place: the living environment and the presence of local services (including public transport) play a key role. The effects of social environment on older people's mobility, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic period remain a less studied topic. Within this context, the paper aims to explore the role of satisfaction with neighbourhood, local public transport, and socio-demographic characteristics in influencing subjective wellbeing in Italy, during the Covid-19 pandemic. A survey has been addressed to people aged over 65 years old in three Italian cities (Milan, Padua, and Varese). A structural equation model and an ordered logit model have been performed. Results show that older adults who are satisfied with their neighbourhood and are happy with the local public transport characteristics are more likely to have higher subjective wellbeing. Moreover, men, older adults living alone, and those who have suffered from an income reduction, due to the pandemic, show lower levels of subjective wellbeing.
... Trip chaining research looks at the complexity of journeys by defining the different tasks that people undertake during each journey. Interestingly, one study highlights that older people make more complex journeys (more stops per journey) than younger people, even though these journeys tend to be shorter (Su and Bell, 2009). ...
Laboratory-based experiments show ageing negatively impacts navigation abilities, yet a paucity of research explores lived experience. This exploratory study examined young-old adults' experiences of declining navigation abilities during 16 semi-structured telephone interviews. Findings reveal: (a) ‘Behavioural drivers’ that underpinned the participants' experiences and actions when engaging with their environments, (b) ‘Avoidance’ and (c) ‘Active’ strategies that were adopted by the participants. Declining cognitive function appeared to have a negative impact on participants' perceived abilities and confidence to navigate unfamiliar outdoor environments, which in turn influenced the strategies they chose to adopt. Future psychosocial interventions should draw on neuropsychological theory to ensure retention of navigation skills and confidence for as long as possible.
... However, when conducting personal business, few differences are seen in the travel frequency between the two groups (34). Su and Bell used a nested logit model to scrutinize the variables affecting the travel mode choice of older adults in London and found that bus stop density and service frequency play a decisive role (45). In the Australian city of Adelaide, Truong and Somenahalli examined the variables determining the frequency of transit usage by older adults and concluded that access to the city center and station density had a negligible impact (43). ...
Population aging has become a severe issue facing most nations and areas worldwide—with Hong Kong being no exception. For older adults, walking is among the most well-liked travel modes, boosting their overall health and wellbeing. Some studies have confirmed that the built environment has a significant (spatially fixed) influence on older adults' walking behavior. However, little consideration has been given to the potential spatial heterogeneity in such influences. Hence, this study extracted data on older adults' (outdoor) walking behavior from the 2011 Hong Kong Travel Characteristics Survey and measured a series of built environment attributes based on geo-data (e.g., Google Street View imagery). Logistic regression and geographically weighted logistic regression models were developed to unveil the complicated (including spatially fixed and heterogeneous) association between the built environment and older adults' propensity to walk. We show that population density, land-use mix, street greenery, and access to bus stops are positively connected with the propensity to walk of older adults. Intersection density seems to impact walking propensity insignificantly. All built environment attributes have spatially heterogeneous effects on older adults' walking behavior. The percentage of deviance explained is heterogeneously distributed across space.
... Additionally, younger adults with disabilities most often ride buses to and from school, while those without disabilities most often drive personal cars (Wheeler, Yang, & Xiang, 2009). Conversely, in the older population of people with disabilities, disabled people usually walk less and use public transport less, while being more often dependent on the car and driving with others than the general population of elderly (Böcker, van Amen, & Helbich, 2017;Douglas et al., 2012;Su & Bell, 2009). ...
While people with disabilities have different travel patterns compared with the general traveller population, such discrepancies are ignored in mainstream travel demand modelling and planning practice. The failure to represent the diverse travel behaviour of people with disabilities leads to inaccurate forecasting and poor decision-making and exacerbates transportation disadvantages. Thus, this systematic review synthesises previous studies of travel behaviours among people with disabilities, differing from people without disabilities, in terms of trip frequency, mode choice, travel time and distance, and barriers.
This review identified 115 peer-reviewed studies of the daily travel patterns of individuals across three categories of disabilities—mobility, cognitive, and sensory. Our review reveals that persons with disabilities make 10–30% fewer trips than those without disabilities, particularly non-work trips. Another significant difference is in travel mode choice—increased uses of public transit and taxi and riding with others and decreased walking and driving among those with disabilities. People with disabilities are prone to utilising slower means of transportation and travelling shorter distances. The quantitative review highlighted a limited considertation of the built environment characteristics and temporal factors as travel behavour predictors.
Further, our qualitative review shows that despite a high level of adaptation, persons with disabilities encounter many barriers in the built environment to their transportation access. The environmental, social, and system barriers make specific modes unavailable to travellers with disabilities, increase travel time, and eventually decrease their trip frequency. This paper provides implications for travel demand modelling and urban and transportation planning and policy that better supports the transportation needs of persons with disabilities.
... For older adults, mobility (often defined as the ability to travel) is closely associated with independence, quality of life, subjective wellbeing, and social integration [5]. It is also one of the ingredients of active aging [6]. Therefore, improving the mobility of ISPRS Int. ...
Population aging has become a notable and enduring demographic phenomenon worldwide. Older adults' walking behavior is determined by many factors, such as socioeconomic attributes and the built environment. Although a handful of recent studies have examined the influences of street greenery (a built environment variable estimated by big data) on older adults' walking behavior, they have not focused on the spatial heterogeneity in the influences. To this end, this study extracts the socioeconomic and walking behavior data from the Travel Characteristic Survey 2011 of Hong Kong and estimates street greenery (the green view index) based on Google Street View imagery. It then develops global models (linear regression and Box-Cox transformed models) and local models (geographically weighted regression models) to scrutinize the average (global) and location-specific (local) relationships, respectively, between street greenery and older adults' walking time. Notably, green view indices in three neighborhoods with different sizes are estimated for robustness checks. The results show that (1) street greenery has consistent and significant effects on walking time; (2) the influence of street greenery varies across space. Specifically, it is greater in the suburban area; and (3) the performance of different green view indices is highly consistent.
... Hence, this operation mode seems to exclude elderly people and may cause a potential aging inequality problem. However, this problem may not have a significant impact on elderly people because people would gradually shift from driving to public transportation modes for the most trips as they age [29][30][31], due to the decreasing ability to drive with increasing age [32]. erefore, the local governments should pay sufficient financial and administrative supports to public transportation for improving the elderly's mobility while promoting the usage of electric carsharing. ...
The combination of electric vehicle (EV) and carsharing is expected to provide social and environmental benefits, like encouraging sustainable travel behaviors (reducing car ownership and vehicle kilometres of travel) and improving the accessibility and flexibility of urban transport. Thus, electric carsharing is encouraged to be adopted for daily trips, and the operators propose the friend-invitation promotion scheme for the membership expansion. This study explores the effectiveness of this scheme and the characteristics of the scheme participants and their invited friends (e.g., age, friend-invitation pattern, and EV rental pattern). The analysis found that 28.4% of these invited friends would make at least one EV rental after registration, whereas 30.4% of the other members who registered in the same period would do so, indicating that these invited friends were less active. Therefore, suggestions are given based on the EV rental pattern of these invited friends (preferring a longer journey using a smaller but cheaper EV) to enhance the effectiveness of the friend-invitation promotion scheme.
... In addition, elderly living in highly walkable neighborhoods are more likely to use active transportation modes including walking and cycling (Winters et al., 2015). In addition, bus stop density is more important than bus service frequency on the usage of public transportation for seniors (Su and Bell, 2009). ...
Population ageing has been a thorny issue in many countries. One of the challenges is how to improve and change transportation design and transport policy development to adapt to the dramatic changes in the composition of our population. In this paper, we apply a network-based approach of human mobility measurement called “motif” to investigate the distinct patterns in daily travel for seniors (age 60 and above) in California using the 2017 National Household Travel Survey (California-NHTS) data. Motifs are networks of distinct locations visited in a day and the directional movements between them. Using patterns of motifs, we correlate the diverse daily mobility patterns with socio-demographic characteristics as well as built environment factors. We find that 15 distinct motifs can capture approximately 82% and 86% of the total senior respondents on workdays and non-workdays, respectively. Seniors are more likely to have simple motifs with three or fewer distinct locations on non-workdays, while they present more complex motifs during workdays. Given 65% of the included seniors are retired, a large number of seniors present diverse and complex daily mobility patterns instead of staying at home all day. In addition, given the similarity between the urban core, urban district, and urban neighborhood in function and spatial proximity, there is significant heterogeneity in the daily mobility patterns among seniors living in these areas. Furthermore, we find that seniors living in areas with higher percentages of single-family housing units are most likely to stay at home on workdays.
... This higher spatial confinement leads older persons to be more dependent for their health and happiness on their communities' infrastructure, institutions, amenities, businesses, services, and networks of supportive relationships (Choi et al. 2015), which decline within urban neighborhoods facing rising socioeconomic challenges (Chernick, Langley, and Reschovsky 2011;Kazembe and Nickanor 2017;Leventhal and Brooks-Gunn 2003;McDaniel, Gazso, and Um 2013;Modrek et al. 2013;Peck 2012;Tendler 1982;Weffer et al. 2014). These downturns include detriments to the public transit systems upon which older persons depend because of diminished mobility (Rosenbloom 2009;Su and Bell 2009) and to the senior centers and other community social amenities that help older persons remain socially engaged (Aneshensel, Harig, and Wight 2016). In addition, older adults show high extents of anxiety concerning violence and other criminal activity (Fried and Barron 2005;Piro, Noss, and Claussen 2006). ...
American cities and neighborhoods vary in their residents’ typical levels of mental health. Despite scholarship emphasizing that we cannot thoroughly understand city and neighborhood problems without investigating how they are intertwined, limited research examines how city and neighborhood effects interact as they impact health. I investigate these interactions through a study of the effects of the Great Recession of 2007–2009. Using Waves 1 (2005–2006) and 2 (2010–2011) of the National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project survey ( N = 1,341) and in accordance with the compound disadvantage model, I find through fixed-effects linear regression models that city- and neighborhood-level economic declines combine multiplicatively as they impact older Americans’ depressive symptoms. I furthermore find that this effect is only partly based on personal socioeconomic changes, suggesting contextual channels of effect. My results show that we cannot fully understand the effects of city-level changes without also considering neighborhood-level changes.
... Moreover, studies have found that older people who live alone engage in different patterns of out-of-home activities compared to those who live with spouses (e.g. Roorda et al. 2010;Su and Bell 2009). For example, in Japan, Komazawa et al. (2019) report that older men who live alone tend to participate in more out-of-home activities such as shopping, eating out, and socialising than those not living alone. ...
Promoting active ageing has emerged as a key objective of urban planning and policymaking globally. Our study aims to provide new insights from a time-use perspective. In this paper, we use Hong Kong as a case study to investigate how people aged 60 and older allocate their time in various out-of-home activities. We analyse how personal and household characteristics affect the duration of out-of-home activities among older adults using two decennial time-use surveys. We focus on the influence of employment status and age because of policy relevance, particularly since the Hong Kong Government is considering extending the retirement age from 60 to 65. Comparison of time-use and activity participation between 2002 and 2013 suggests that employment status is positively associated with the duration of out-of-home activities and travel in both cross-sections; it also explains change over time. Findings also underscore the role of gender, age, education, type of housing, tenure of accommodation, household size, and income in determining older people’s activity–travel patterns. Our study shows that government policies to increase the share of employed people in the 60-years-and-older cohort and changes in the sociodemographic makeup of older people owing to various economic or societal forces could alter older people’s time-use and out-of-home activity patterns. Our study suggests that Hong Kong and other cities in the Asian region and beyond must aim at creating inclusive, age-friendly communities with adequate access to various activity opportunities in order to enhance quality of life in an ageing society.
... Based on their perceptions, assistance from other people and the proximity of services created opportunities to organise daily life so that one did not have to move so much. Previous research has shown that older age and a decline in physical functioning are associated with a reduced living environment (Portegijs et al., 2014) and fewer trips outside the home (Su and Bell, 2009). In general, older people tend to utilise services close to their homes rather than travel longer distances (Engels and Liu, 2013). ...
We studied older people's perceptions of how they organise their out-of-home mobility and independent living when they face mobility restrictions, based on seven focus groups with older people (N = 28) from a suburb in Finland. This article provides an everyday life view of how the ability to move outside the home evolves through interdependencies between older people and their neighbourhoods, social relations and societal arrangements. Our findings show that supportive socio-material surroundings can provide older people with new ways to move outside their home despite mobility restrictions and new ways to organise their daily life with decreased mobility. In contrast, restrictive socio-material surroundings can lead to situations in which older people forgo certain out-of-home journeys and activities. The findings contribute to an understanding that organising one's daily life and out-of-home mobility is an act of interdependence. Policies promoting independent living in old age should recognise these fundamental interdependencies and support versatile ways of living rather than overemphasise activity and self-reliance. Based on older people's everyday life perspectives, both sides of the coin need to be considered: how to enable the out-of-home mobility of older people facing mobility restrictions and how to support them in managing and enjoying daily life with decreased mobility.
... They indicated that the temporal interdependencies between life course events would be involved in car ownership decisions. Furthermore, it is evident that travel patterns of different age groups would be diversified [40,41]. Due to different roles in the life stages, travel purposes change during the life course. ...
The stagnation of car demand had been observed in many countries. A similar phenomenon had emerged in Taiwan. From the perspective of socio-demographic characteristics, this study employs quantile regression for count data to investigate generational differences in household car ownership in Taiwan. The results show that the socio-demographic characteristics affected household car ownership. Due to the seniority effects, households in the later life-cycle stages and households with a higher proportion of elderly members would reduce car demand. But, households with the middle-aged heads owned more cars due to their better economic ability. The income effects are greater for higher income households. Household car ownership varied across generations, which was related to the income effects, the life course, and household structure. Hence, the demographic changes and generational differences in travel preferences should be considered in urban transportation planning. Seamless transportation and senior-friendly facilities would be important for transportation demand management.
... This is based on the many well-known health benefits of a physically active lifestyle (Janssen, 2007;Smith, Quine, Anderson, & Black, 2002). According to Su and Bell (2009), many elderly persons would like to engage in out-of-home activities more often, but transportation deficiencies constitute a main obstacle. ...
... Population aging will give rise to a substantial increase in the numbers of older consumers, who's quality of life in advanced age is related to mobility (MacDonald & Hébert, 2010;Metz, 2000). Older people living in less densely populated areas may face difficulties making trips to the grocery store, medical treatments or social activities as they age further or develop medical conditions (Su & Bell, 2009). Another limitation concerns the measurement of the environmentalist identity: ...
Sharing does not need to involve corporate providers but can also happen on a peer‐to‐peer (P2P) basis. P2P sharing platforms who match private providers and users are thus dealing with two different customer segments. An example of this is carpooling, the sharing of a car journey. Recent years have seen considerable research on why people use sharing services. In contrast, there is little knowledge of why people may offer a good for sharing purposes. Drawing on identity theory, this paper suggests that users and providers of carpooling need to be addressed differently. A pilot study and two studies, including both actual car owners and nonowners confirm that the extent to which one identifies as an environmentalist predicts car owners' willingness to offer carpooling, but does not affect nonowners' willingness to use carpooling services. These findings remain robust when controlling for various potential confounds. Furthermore, Study 2 suggests that an environmentalist identity plays an important role for car owners' actual decision to offer a ride via an online platform. These results suggest that marketers of P2P platforms need to pursue different strategies when addressing potential users and providers on the same platform.
... Behind the age effect we can find the role of the complexity of trip chains. Older individuals prefer more homogenous trips, which can be more easily done with personal vehicle than with public transport (Su & Bell, 2009). ...
Long-distance carpooling is an emerging mode in France and Europe, but little is known about monetary values of this mode attributes in transport economics. We conducted a discrete choice experiment to identify and measure the values of attributes of long-distance transport modes for a trip as a driver and as a passenger, with a special focus on carpooling. Around 1.700 French individuals have been surveyed. We use discrete mixed logit models to estimate the probability of mode choice. We find that the value of travel time for a driver who carpools is on average 13% higher than the value of travel time when driving alone in his/her car. The average value of travel time for a carpool trip as passenger is around 26 euros per hour, 60% higher than for a train trip and 20% higher than for a bus trip. Moreover, our study confirms a strong preference for driving solo over taking carpoolers in one’s car. We also show that individuals traveling as carpool passenger incur a “discomfort” cost of on average 4.5 euros per extra passenger in the same vehicle. Finally, we identify robust socio-economic effects affecting the probability of carpooling, especially gender effects. When they drive a car, females are less likely to carpool than male, but they prefer to carpool two passengers over only one passenger.
... Reliability was mentioned by fewer than expected and was usually given in combination with at least one or two other reasons. In the literature, reliability is often mentioned as an important aspect with respect to modal choice [37,47] but as a theme, it was less apparent here. ...
Modal choice is a prominent concept within transport studies. However, the term is often used quite loosely, with little known about the factors lying behind the choice, the alternatives available to a person, and whether the person had a ‘choice’ to begin with. This study draws on a travel survey among older people living in Sweden’s large metropolitan regions. The questions posed as part of this survey facilitate a greater insight into the processes at play behind modal choice. An analysis of the differences between: (1) the range of modal options available to respondents and (2) the modes selected from this range (modal choice) is presented. An analysis of the respondents’ reasoning for choosing the modes they did and not the others they could have chosen is also presented. It was found that more than a quarter of respondents have the option to use and actually use all modes for everyday travel. The car is more inclined to be selected among those who have a range of different modal options. Suitability and comfort are the two main reasons given for modal choice. More positive reasons are given for actively selecting walking and cycling, whereas the motives behind the selection of the car instead tend to be framed as reasons for not selecting other modes. Adaptive preference and adjustment effects are also apparent in the selection processes. This study gives us a deeper understanding of the intricate mechanisms and reasoning at play behind the process of modal choice among this group. In this way, we have a better basis for shaping and implementing measures to promote and encourage sustainable mobility, in such a way that the well-being of older people is also supported.
... Note that this result is different from our "control group", the working couples, for whom the transit is the most important. Many studies have emphasised the importance of walkability on senior mobility, health, and quality-of-life (Su and Bell, 2009;Choi and Dinitto, 2015;Loo et al., 2017). In addition, we found that retired couples spent approximately twice as much time walking as did the working couples in our sample. ...
The ageing population has become a global problem in which enhanced understanding on their activity-travel patterns is needed. In this paper, an analysis of retired and dual-earner couples is conducted to investigate how retirement would change their activity time use and patterns. In particular, intra-household interactions are considered, to explore the interdependencies among household members’ choices, social-demographics and travel behaviours. Household survey data from Hong Kong are employed.
Results show that retirement would substantially increase joint participations and durations in various out-of-home activities. In addition, the importance of walkability is emphasised for retired couples in a mixed-land-use and transit-dependent city, and a potential social exclusion issue is identified for the low-income retired population. Scenarios analyses including changes of built environment and lifestyles (e.g., telecommuting, online shopping and food delivery) are conducted, to investigate how couples would reallocate the saved travel time. In summary, this paper highlights the importance of considering the group decision mechanism in a household for activity generation and travel demand forecasting. It sheds light on policies to improve quality-of-life for couples before and after the retirement.
... The need for such activities offer was reported by both the residents of villages and large cities. Many elderly persons would like to engage in out-of-home activities more often, but transportation deficiencies constitute a main obstacle [33][34][35]. ...
The purpose of the study is to determine the actual demand for the elimination of architectural barriers among senior citizens in their place of residence and also in its immediate environment in Poland. The research covered a group of people in the post-productive age, living in the Lower Silesia voivodship in Poland. Different research methods were used in the study, primarily including the public opinion survey based on a questionnaire as well as statistical analyses. The cross-tabulation analysis of differences in quality characteristics was performed using Pearson’s chi-square test (χ2 test of independence) or Fisher’s exact test, when the expected number was lower than five. As a post hoc analysis, checking the nature of differences between the studied groups, the analyses were carried out using the method by Baesley and Schumacker. For all analyses, the maximum permissible error class I α = 0.05 was adopted, whereas p ≤ 0.05 was considered statistically significant. The research revealed that a much larger group of people aged 55 and older suffers from mobility limitations than the ones resulting from disability certificates, thus confirming the assumption that along with the respondents’ age, their mobility limitations intensify, resulting in the need for assistance while moving outside their houses/apartments.
... At the same time, this change results in the surplus of free time, which older people may devote to other activitiese.g. visiting families, friends or shopping, which affect the diversity of their transport and mobility needs (Su, Bell, 2009). ...
... significant, but the bus stop density has a significant influence on the share of public transport [12,16]. Su et al. [17], concentrating on the mode choices of the elderly before and after shopping, found that travel cost of driving are negatively associated with the elderly's propensities of driving a car. ...
With the aging of population in the world, understanding the travel demands of the elderly is important. In China, the aging society is in the process of forming. Meanwhile the urban motorization has just started. The aim of this paper is to investigate the dependence of the future elderly on private cars. The data used here come from a stated preference (SP) survey of the young and middle-aged residents in the capital of China, Beijing. The influencing factors on the car ownership and mode choices of the future elderly are analysed based on the ordered logit model and MNL model, respectively. The effect of uncertainty in respondents’ statements on the car usage has been also investigated. The results show that the future elderly in Beijing become increasingly dependent on private cars. It is also found that younger people have higher propensities to own private cars and to make use of driving after the age of 65. Moreover, improving public transport services contributes to an increased ridership of public transport by the future elderly. The findings in this paper can provide valuable references for the aging society when making transport policies in Beijing.
... Age and gender are found to be crucial factors in affecting travel behavior and patterns. Tranter and Whitelegg (1994), Fyhri and Hjorthol (2009) and Su and Bell (2009) suggest that people in different age groups have differences in their travel behavior. These differences mainly occur because they tend to engage in different types of activities. ...
Shared transportation providing point-to-point services on demand, although not an unknown element in urban mobility, has started gaining more presence with growth of information technology in the transport sector. These forms of transport modes will supplement or compete with existing public and private transport. Their mixed reception in the past is a matter of concern especially before making investment decisions. To find feasible opportunities of implementation, an estimation of the demand patterns in the target city is desirable.
This research provides and evaluates a methodology for this estimation that avoids ambivalent and expensive user surveys. Demand patterns are caused by the spatial variation of socio-economic and demographic characteristics, family structures, and travel behavior over the city. Thus, the new methodology takes into account the use of socio-economic and demographic data and current trip data from travel surveys of a sample of the population, along with usage patterns of existing similar services elsewhere in the world. Demographic factors such as gender, age, occupation, income, household structure, motor vehicle ownership, and driving licence availability together with trip characteristics such as current trip purpose, walking time, and waiting time can be analyzed to come up with demand patterns, and their variation in the city. Usage patterns from existing similar services worldwide are then used to explore the overall spatial pattern of susceptibility of DRT in a target city. The outcomes identify more favorable areas for implementation of DRT.
The methodology can be validated by applying it on existing transport modes in the target city which will also help in understanding the nature of competition among the proposed and existing transport modes. As the review of operating services is generic, it can be used in conjunction with respective travel surveys in different places. Similarly, review can be done for any proposed transport mode, and provided methodology can be applied for exploring demand patterns. The methodology is tested for Greater Melbourne in this study.
Further, synthetic population is created at household and person levels for Greater Melbourne. PopSynWin, which is based on Iterative Proportional Fitting (IPF) algorithm, and PopGen, which is based on Iterative Proportional Update (IPU) algorithm, are used
as tools for this purpose, generating two different synthetic populations. Both the generated populations are compared statistically, and the better one is used to assign travel diaries from sample travel surveys for a study region. The methodology to explore the susceptibility to use DRT, provided in this research, is applied on individual travel diaries to further explore demand patterns at a finer granularity.
The objective of this study is to ascertain the distinctions in the mobility patterns of elderly individuals and to formulate recommendations that will enhance the accessibility and suitability of public transportation systems for this demographic. To achieve this objective, data from the electronic fare collection system used in public transportation in Izmir city for elderly individuals with smart cards has been utilized. To investigate the variables that differentiate the mobility of elderly individuals, one-way variance analysis (ANOVA) and Student's T-test analysis were employed. The results demonstrate that elderly individuals are not a homogeneous group; gender, age group, and distance from the city center have an impact on mobility. The issue of increasing the mobility of elderly individuals will have an impact on spatial planning and transportation planning.
The rapid demographic shift towards an aging society in China will bring more challenges to meeting the travel needs of older adults, especially the heterogeneity and differences in backgrounds, health, and subjective perceptions of them making it even harder. Walking, as a primary travel mode and physical activity for seniors in China, is important for them to keep involved in social life and maintain active and wellbeing while aging. Studies on the walking behavior of older adults have been focusing on realized journeys, but the research on the unmet walking needs has received insufficient attention. Moreover, most studies treated older adults as a homogeneous group. As such, this study examines how socio-demographic and built environment variables affect the unmet walking needs of older adults considering the unobserved heterogeneity by relying on subjective predictors of walking. The unmet walking needs are defined as the gaps between expected and actual walking frequencies. This is done by employing a hybrid approach integrating latent class analysis (LCA) and a zero-inflated Poisson (ZIP) regression model based on data collected from 533 older adults over 60 in China in 2021. Results of LCA show that three latent segments can be identified, i.e., Enthusiastic Walking Respondents with Excellent Health (EWEH), Positive Walking Respondents with Languishing Health (PWLH), and Fair Walking Respondents with Languishing Health (FWLH). The results of the ZIP regression model indicate that age, gender, income, elevator, and distances to the nearest bus stop are the relatively contributing factors to unmet walking needs for both three classes. Moreover, built environment factors, such as access to bus stops and distances to the nearest leisure facility, have the most significant influence on EWEH class. The findings of this study will offer insights for effective policies and interventions to build an age-friendly environment.
Using data from the National Travel Survey in England, this study investigates which factors lead to experiencing travel difficulties amongst people aged 60 years old and above. The ability to be mobile is one of the key factors enabling older people to maintain their wellbeing and independence while ageing. Given the shift towards an ageing population that our society is experiencing, providing an age-friendly transportation environment becomes necessary to allow older people to be able to fulfil their travel needs and keep involved in societal participation. By employing a conceptual framework based on five interrelated domains shaping mobility during later life, this paper explores older people's difficulties in accessing transport resources, mode usage and undertaking out-of-home activities. Poor health and wellbeing conditions, lack of access to transport resources and gender are identified as the main predictors to experiencing travel difficulties in later life, while activities more affected in this sense are medical appointments, visiting family or friends and social ones. The findings have implications for policies, planning and interventions targeting age-friendly and inclusive transport and environment and show the need to move beyond the transport domain and employ a more holistic and intersectionality-based approach to understand what affects and shapes mobility in later life.
人口老龄化对现存的交通系统和传统的交通规划、设计方法提出了巨大的挑战。本文的目的在于研究老龄人口的出行行为，为我国未来老龄化背景下的综合交通体系的建设、管理提供依据。本文通过综述国内外有关老龄人口出行的文献，对老龄人口的出行行为特征及其影响因素、出行对老龄人口的意义以及相应的交通对策进行对比分析研究，并在此基础上指出，今后应当结合我国老龄化社会的实际特点开展关于老龄人口的意愿出行需求分析与预测的方法理论研究。
A significant increase in the older population has been observed in numerous cities. Understanding the correlates of older adults’ mobility is, therefore, of critical importance to meet the needs of this growing population. Based on multisource data, including Google Street View street image data and Hong Kong Travel Characteristics Survey 2011 data, we developed a series of multilevel and geographically weighted logistic regression models to scrutinize the global and local associations between urban greenery (eye-level street greenery, the number of parks, and the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI)) and the travel propensity of older adults. Notably, eye-level street greenery was assessed by using readily available street images and machine learning techniques. The modeling results reveal that eye-level street greenery has a positive effect on older adults’ mobility, but that the number of parks and the NDVI do not significantly affect older adults’ mobility. Robustness checks verified the plausibility of these findings. Furthermore, the effect of street greenery varies over space, larger in suburban areas than in urban areas. This study advances the understanding of relationships between urban greenery and travel behavior.
Objective: The aim of this work is to the relation between age, and gender and choosing a certain mode of transport to travel between two main Iraqi cites.
Methods: a statistical method, T-test, is used to distinguish between these parameters.
Data: Infield survey data was collected using questionnaire.
Results: the results indicate that passengers are differentiated in terms of age, and gender. For instance
1-As age of male traveler increased, participants were more likely to travel by train than other mode of transport.
2-As age of female traveler increased, participants were more likely to travel by small vehicles than other mode of transport.
With the development of social economy and health care technology, people are expected to live longer, and the world's population tends to be ageing. As one of the services for elderly people, the concessionary bus travel programme provides a kind of social welfare for elderly people, while peak-hour traffic pressures (e.g., traffic congestion, traffic injuries, and travel discomfort) faced by elderly people have been ignored. This paper attempts to help society create a better travel environment for elderly people by analysing their travel behaviours. Specifically, using household survey data from Beijing, the statistical analysis is used to paint a more detailed picture of daily travel experience of elderly people with regard to departure times, travel purposes, travel mode choices, etc. Then, a nested logit model is employed to interpret travel patterns of elderly people. The results show that the bus plays the most important role in motorized travel of elderly people. Furthermore, the free bus programme has induced only 4.85% of bus travel among elderly people, indicating that the programme has little effect on elderly people's bus choices. Based on the results of the analysis, several options are proposed in this paper to help society adapt to the changing demographics.
Although there is widespread acceptance regarding the importance of mobility in older adults, there have been few attempts to bridge disciplines and move beyond the predominant focus on functional aspects of mobility. In this article, we present an adapted mobility framework with the goal of continued development to acknowledge the subjective and temporal elements of movement in order to comprehensively conceptualize mobility. The adapted framework of mobility offers a physiological, subjective, contextual and temporal approach, that provides a more comprehensive conceptualization of the nature and processes of older adults’ mobility. The use of a sliding scale in our framework reveals the dynamic, fluid and experiential nature of mobility by analyzing factors within and between people and their environments, over time. Adopting this framework reframes how mobility can be conceptualized and approached across a potential range of users and user groups. Our framework presents theoretical concepts that can be transported and tested in research studies. Our framework can also be used in clinical or community settings.
In this paper we propose and study a new paratransit transportation system that integrates accessible taxi (or private hire) services, the most widely used form of disabled transport, with semiflexible public bus services that deviate from their nominal route to provide door-to-door transport. The scope of this system is to serve all paratransit orders received and minimize the overall transport cost under practical service quality imperatives. The proposed system and its design aspects are studied by modeling the related planning problem as a mixed integer-linear program. The program incorporates important cost and service-level considerations, and it is solved to optimality by a new exact branch-and-price approach that leverages two types of subproblems, one per mode. An extensive experimental study has been performed to (a) assess the advantage of integrating the two modes, (b) assess the efficiency of the proposed solution method, and (c) provide system design guidelines for achieving an appropriate balance between system operating costs and service quality.
This paper uses data from the 1995 Nationwide Personal Transportation Survey and the 2001 National Household Travel Survey to examine trip-chaining trends in the United States. The research focuses on trip chaining related to the work trip and contrasts travel characteristics of workers who trip chain with those who do not, including their distance from work, current levels of trip making, and the purposes of stops made within chains. Trends examined include changes in the purpose of stops and in trip-chaining behavior by gender and life cycle. A robust growth in trip chaining occurred between 1995 and 2001, nearly all in the direction of home to work. Men increased their trip chaining more than women, and a large part of the increase was to stop for coffee (the Starbucks effect). It was found that workers who trip chain live farther from their workplaces than workers who do not. It was also found that, in two-parent, two-worker households that drop off children at school, women are far more likely than men to incorporate that trip into their commute and that those trips are highly constrained between 8:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m. An analysis was done of workers who stopped to shop and those who did not but made a separate shopping trip from home; a large potential to increase trip-chaining behavior in shopping trips was found. Results of these analyses have important policy implications as well as implications for travel demand forecast model development. Finally, this paper uses these analyses to develop conclusions about the utility of transportation policies and programs that use the promotion of trip chaining as a primary travel demand management strategy.
This paper presents the results of an effort funded by the FHWA Office of Policy to conduct analyses for creating tour-based files for the 1995 Nationwide Personal Transportation Survey (NPTS) and the 2001 National Household Travel Survey (NHTS). This research examines the effect of different rules of inclusion for person-trips within chains and advances an operational definition of a trip chain as containing stops for any purpose with no more than 30 minutes dwell time. We describe the process of establishing tours based on this definition, including the number and percent of trips included by tour type, the number and percent of tours established, and a closer look at the tours for journey-to-work. We look at the differences in estimates of commute trips and miles using person-trips and tour-level analysis using the tour-level files for 1995 and 2001. These files and a more detailed description are available for researchers from the FHWA.
Gender and household life-cycle together affect daily travel behavior. While this makes intuitive sense, transportation planners and policy makers/shapers have done little to understand what effect and impact these factors have on daily transportation choices. This paper uses the 1995 Nationwide Personal Transportation Survey (NPTS) to examine trip chaining behavior of adult men and women traveling Monday through Friday. The data show that women continue to make more trips to perform household-sustaining activities such as shopping and family errands to a greater extent than men. Women, especially with children in the household, are more likely to chain these household sustaining trips to the trip to and from work. Women's participation in the labor force is at an all time high, but women's patterns in travel to work are different from men's patterns, and vary with family and life cycle status. The type and location of jobs that women take are likely affected by their greater household and family responsibilities. The biggest question for the future is whether and how the changes in women's status in the workplace, and perhaps the concomitant change in the household dynamics and responsibilities, will affect travel behavior of both men and women. These changes will deeply impact the development of programs related to transit, land-use planning, work schedules, telecommuting, and other programs related to auto use.
Accessible public transport and the independence that comes with car driving are generally thought to be linked to quality of life in old age. However, there has been almost no research on this topic in the UK. This study by researchers from the University of Paisley and the University of East London used a multi-method approach to explore the relationship between quality of life and access to public and private transport. The study also examined the extent to which the transport needs of older people are taken into account by transport professionals.
The aging of populations has implications for trip-making behavior and the demand for special transport services. The London Area Travel Survey 2001 is analyzed to establish the trip-making characteristics of elderly and disabled people. Ordinal probit models are fitted for all trips and for trips by four purposes (work, shopping, personal business, and recreational), with daily trip frequency as the latent variable. A log-linear model is used to analyze trip length. A distinction must be made between young disabled, younger elderly, and older elderly people. Retired people initially tend to make more trips, but as they become older and disabilities intervene, trip making tails off. Household structure, income, car ownership, possession of a driver's license, difficulty walking, and other disabilities are found to affect trip frequency and length to a greater or lesser extent.
Consumers often visit several locations on a shopping trip. The effects of such multiple stops on the distance from home to a store is crucial for understanding spatial patterns of retail choice. The mean distance traveled to a store on a multistop trip is expected to be longer than that on a single stop trip. Data from Hamilton, Ontario, Canada have indicated that travel time from home to grocery store is affected by three aspects of a trip; the number of stops, the number of trip purposes, and the order of a shopping stop.
The current lack of a detailed description of elderly travel characteristics and behaviours, particularly one that examines the issue at a level involving activity engagement, was a deficiency addressed by this research. Using data from the 1994/95 Portland, Oregon, Household Activity and Stated Preference Survey a simplified activity-based travel model for the elderly was developed and validated. The modelling framework makes use of lifestyle groups which are delineated through advance analyses. The final cluster solution chosen to provide a categorical basis for the modelling framework identified six distinct lifestyle groups based on socio-demographic variables. The clusters were subjectively labelled Workers, Mobile Widows, Granny Flats, Mobility Impaired, Affluent Males, and Disabled Drivers. The clusters were found to have statistically significant differences in travel behaviour and activity engagement patterns. These findings are useful to policy-makers who attempt to balance the mobility needs of the elderly with the prospect for stricter driving license policies in response to traffic safety concerns. The model framework successfully replicated all facets of the base data set used for its development. Using a sequential process, the micro-simulation model employs a bottom-up approach by stochastically developing daily activity itineraries for individuals which are subsequently assembled into trip tours. Elements of travel behaviour synthesized for individuals being modelled included total daily activities (with and without travel), activities engaged in by class (with and without travel), total daily trip tours, and mode splits. The research has shown that a categorical approach using lifestyle groups with unique activity and travel characteristics can be successfully combined within an activity-based framework. Although this approach was applied specifically to the elderly, it can be extended to other heterogeneous groups including the population as a whole. Furthermore, the study has provided a more comprehensive understanding of the varied lifestyles, activity patterns, and subsequent travel behaviour and needs of the elderly.
Properties of trip chaining in a hypothetical linear city are examined using the concept of intervening opportunities together with utilitarian assumptions of travel decision. The acceptance probability of the opportunities model is interpreted as a parameter that represents the trip maker's selectivity in opportunity choice. The trip maker is assumed to establish his selectivity level such that the expected net utility of a trip chain will be maximized, and also to minimize the distance traveled to visit a given set of opportunities. Using this framework, characteristics of trip chaining, including the mean distance traveled, optimal level of selectivity and tendency of chaining trips, are related to parameters characterizing the linear city. The analysis points out the critical effect the distribution of utilities of opportunities has on the tendency to chain trips.
The 1995 Nationwide Personal Transportation Survey (NPTS) provides a snapshot of the daily travel patterns of a representative sample of the United States population. These data support the widely accepted notion that non-drivers 75 and older are among those most at risk for the social isolation and inadequate service availability that can follow from reduced mobility. This paper explores the factors associated with trip making among this group as they are reflected in the 1995 NPTS. The analyses conducted here seek to identify those personal and community characteristics measured in the survey that are associated with trip making among the non-driving 75+ population. The profile that emerges suggests that beyond the constraints of physical and economic well being, it is housing density and community context that most influence mobility among the non-driving 75+ population. Notably, when housing density is controlled, living in a central city area appears negatively associated with mobility among the 75+ non-driving population. The relationship between trip making and central city residence suggests that perceived safety may influence mobility among this population. Transit availability does not seem to bear a significant role in mobility among this group when other factors are controlled.
The relative effect that each of a wide variety of factors has on the extent to which a traveler will chain trips was investigated. The objectives were to empirically determine which factors influence a traveler's tendency to chain two or more trips within one tour, as well as the relative significance of these considerations; to more specifically determine the level of influence that urban centers have on trip chaining; and to evaluate the potential effects on trip-chaining behavior of specific transportation demand management (TDM) strategies through examination of variables that describe effects associated with TDM. A negative binomial regression model was developed in which the number of trips in a chain is related to household characteristics, traveler characteristics, trip characteristics, and urban form. After the model was estimated, the significance of individual variables was analyzed. Characteristics from each of these categories were found to be statistically significant. A number of the significant variables help to describe effects of specific TDM strategies, and the relative effects of these variables on trip-chaining behavior were addressed. Some of the variables representing TDM strategies increased the level of trip chaining, whereas other variables decreased the level of chaining. Potential policy conflicts between trip chaining and specific TDM programs are discussed.
Trip chaining is a phenomenon that has a significant impact on urban transportation and activity systems. This paper argues that an appropriate representation of the underlying behavioral processes in models of trip chaining is crucial to the capability and reliability of the models. To examine the behavioral processes, data on the complete processes of activity scheduling and trip chaining were collected with a computerized survey instrument, REACT!. The scheduling horizons of sojourn activities were analyzed with contingency tables. The results of this analysis indicate that some of the decision elements entailed in trip chaining were opportunistically formed within constraints set by previously planned activities. While engaged in earlier activities, individuals might see opportunities of carrying out certain activities at different locations occurring later in the day. The decisions as to whether to take these opportunities or not would depend on their evaluation of scheduling feasibility (e.g., the travel time required to reach these activities). However, the analysis also illustrates that some trip chains were indeed executed as planned, suggesting optimality and potential routine behavior. Based on the empirical evidence, transactional opportunistic planning within a constrained environment is viewed as a potential behavioral model for trip chaining behavior.
This study examines the journey to work as a multiple-purpose trip (home-to-home circuit). Using disaggregate travel diary data collected over 35 consecutive days, the study shows the importance of the multi-purpose work trip in the overall travel pattern of the urban household. A large proportion of many households' total travel is undertaken in conjunction with the journey to and from work. The paper also examines the nature of these work-induced travel linkages and finds that many types of urban establishments depend heavily upon stops made in connection with the work trip. In fact, there is a group of urban functions that have stronger travel links with the workplace than with the home or with any other type of urban establishment. The study examines the implications of the multi-purpose journey to work for policies regarding mode use and the viability of centrally-located urban functions.
Mobility is an aspect of the quality of life, especially for the elderly. Mobility is a necessary condition for independence. Based on the Dutch National Travel Survey 1979–1994, trends in person trips, car trips and distances covered for several types of journey purposes made by elderly people are described. The database for 1994 has been used to provide a more detailed description of the travel behaviour: distribution in time of activities, distances for different purposes, main transport modes and reasons for travel. Some information is provided on the characteristics of elderly people who did not mention a trip in the one-day diary.
Communities are increasingly looking to land use planning strategies to reduce drive-alone travel. Many planning efforts aim to develop neighborhoods with higher levels of accessibility that will allow residents to shop closer to home and drive fewer miles. To better understand how accessible land use patterns relate to household travel behavior, this paper is divided into three sections. The first section describes the typical range of services available in areas with high neighborhood accessibility. It explains how trip-based travel analysis is limited because it does not consider the linked (chained) nature of most travel. The second section describes a framework that provides a more behavioral understanding of household travel. This framework highlights travel tours, the sequence of trips that begin and end at home, as the basic unit of analysis. The paper offers a typology of travel tours to account for different travel purposes; by doing so, this typology helps understand tours relative to the range of services typically offered in accessible neighborhoods. The final section empirically analyzes relationships between tour type and neighborhood access using detailed travel data from the Central Puget Sound region (Seattle, Washington). Households living in areas with higher levels of neighborhood access are found to complete more tours and make fewer stops per tour. They make more simple tours (out and back) for work and maintenance (personal, appointment, and shopping) trip purposes but there is no difference in the frequency of other types of tours. While they travel shorter distances for maintenance-type errands, a large portion of their maintenance travel is still pursued outside the neighborhood. These findings suggest that while higher levels of neighborhood access influences travel tours, it does not spur households to complete the bulk of their errands close to home.
In the next three decades there will a huge increase in both the absolute number of older people and in their percentage of the populationin almost all Western European countries, North America, and Australia. Most older people will have active lifestyles in which mobility and access play a major role and almost all older men and a majority of older women will be car drivers, used to the convenience and flexibility which the car provides.
Using data from the US, Australia, Germany, New Zealand, Norway, and the United Kingdom, the paper shows that, in spite of cultural and policy differences, older people around the world are more likely to have a license, to take more trips, and to do so more often as the driver of a car than older people just a decade ago; they are also less likely to use public transit. These trends have a number of sustainability implications – the most obvious one is increased environmental pollution. For example, even though older people may travel less than younger drivers they may be polluting proportionately more because a) they are less likely to make as great a proportion of trips in public transit as younger people and b) the trips they do make may create more pollutants. In addition, older drivers may incur more wasted miles due to wayfinding errors and trip-scouting behavior. And when older people curtail their driving, younger family members may have to increase (or lengthen) their trip-making to provide needed services or additional transportation.
While this paper stresses the environmental problems posed by an aging population, effective strategies arise from a focus on a broader definition of sustainability. The most important approach is to accept the inevitable and work to make the private car "greener" and safer. New transit service concepts and strategic community and neighborhood design and service elements can complement the development of cleaner cars.
Although many of the potential strategies are not new, or can be expensive to implement, the convergence of environmental concerns with other problems arising from the automobility of the elderly – including increasing crash rates and serious loss of mobility among those unable to drive – may make these policies more politically viable than in the past.
The concept of quality of life is elusive and this paper reports on a study that has tried to deconstruct the concept in order to better understand what older people say quality of life means to them. The focus here is on the transport dimension where quality of life is broken down into mobility patterns, locality and social networks. The paper first sets the scene with a summary of secondary data and it then systematically presents data from interviews carried out with 1000 older people as part of the British Office for National Statistics Omnibus Surveys in Britain under the three headings mentioned above. A substantial amount of diversity and variation is found in the data by quality of life ratings and the expectations of the respondents. It is argued that both the active (travel related) and passive (locality and social networks) elements need to be brought together so that the quality of life for the elderly can be better understood.
Population ageing will give rise to a substantial increase in the numbers of older people in society. Quality of life in old age is related to mobility, although the relationship is not clear, in part because the concept of mobility is not well defined. It is argued that it would be attractive to develop an operational concept of mobility, to allow the measurement of a group of benefits associated with individual movement which extend beyond those normally taken into account in travel and transport economics and modelling. This approach would be particularly worthwhile for investigating the loss of mobility with increasing age and the impact this has on quality of life, and for assessing the impact of measures aimed at enhancing the mobility of older people.
This research concerns the relationships between the patterns of activities pursued in home-based trip chains and the characteristics of the persons making the chains. The data source is a one-week travel diary reported by persons over 11 years of age in the Netherlands in 1984. All home-based trip chains, including both simple two-link chains and more complex ones, were classified on the basis of the sequence of away-from-home activities. Twenty types were distinguished. The presence or absence of these trip-chain types were then explained in terms of the personal and household characteristics of the travellers using nonlinear canonical correlation analysis. This analysis technique can accomodate multiple dependent variables and nominally-scaled (categorical) variables in both the independent and dependent variables sets. Determined are the category scores for each independent variable that are optimal in explaining patterns in the dependent chain-type variables. Also determined are the optimal combinations of the two variable sets. These results capture the relationships between the sequences of activities in trip chains and the variables age, sex, working status, household income, stage in the family life cycle, household car ownership, and residential location. The most effective variable was found to be life cycle, followed by age and income.
The travel patterns and travel mode choice of the elderly are analyzed. The elderly are here defined as those who are both 65 or older and retired. A rapid increase in the older population and their proportion in society has tremendous implications for transportation planning and the policy arena. Previous studies on mode choice have been largely focused on working-age people, and existing studies on the travel mode choice of the elderly are limited to descriptive analyses. A systematic analysis is presented of the mode choice of the elderly and how it relates to activity purpose. It is found that neighborhood and trip characteristics, as well as personal and household characteristics, are associated with the mode choice of this group. For example, the elderly are more likely to use transit if they live within five blocks of a bus stop, and they are more likely to share a ride with others when chaining trips, doing errands, or going to a medical appointment and are less likely to use transit when going shopping or doing errands. The elderly prefer walking when going on recreational or personal trips. Those with a higher income are more likely to drive or carpool. The results shed light on the mode choice of the elderly and contribute to the development of a transportation policy framework that considers the elderly. The results suggest that transportation strategies must move beyond private automobiles to prepare adequately for the increasing number of the elderly in society and their mobility needs.
Entering the 21st century, one of the most significant demographic changes in developed countries is the aging of the population. Compared with the preceding generation, this generation of older people stay more mobile for longer. As a guarantee of life quality, older people's travel demand has to be satisfied, so understanding their travel demand is important. An important point is to bear in mind that older people are not a homogeneous group but that distinguishing between the "young" elderly and the "old" elderly in their mobility needs and travel patterns is necessary. In this study, consistent with other literature, the distinction within older people is made at around an age of 75 years old. Older people's travel demand needs to be investigated from many different aspects, including trip generation, travel time, and mode choice. In this study, the investigation is focused on older people's trip chaining, including trip chain complexity, trip purpose sequence and mode choice in a chain. Trip chain complexity is studied in terms of the number of stops per tour modelled by the Ordered Probit Model. Trip purpose sequence and mode choice are analyzed by random utility models including the Multinomial Logit Model, the Nested Logit Model, the Mixed Logit Model and the Dogit Model. After understanding older peoples travel demand, it is found that older people do not tend to make less complex trip chains than younger people, especially when they are younger older people (65-75), however, their travel purposes in one home-home tour are simpler and their mode choice is less flexible. Although not simpler, older people's travel demand does differ from that of younger people in significant ways. They have less time constraints but their decreased physical ability requires more accessible transport. For those older people who have no access to car, public transport is extremely important. However, traditional public transport services such as the underground in London, fixed-route bus services are less accessible. Special Transport Services, such as door-to-door bus services can provide older people with greater accessibility compared with traditional public transport. In this thesis, London Borough of Camden is taken as a case study for special Transport Services. Special transport schemes for older people in the Borough include Dial-a-Ride, Taxicard, and Plusbus. In addition to these schemes, a new pilot scheme - Scootability - is studied in detail. This new scheme which loans electric scooters to older people, fills a niche which could not be satisfied by other special transport services. It is found that electric scooters can better serve older people's short distance travel demand and enable greater trip chaining. The study shows how Special Transport Services complement traditional public transport and private transport in fulfilling older people's travel demand. This thesis is composed of two parts, the first studies older people's travel demand from several different aspects using different models. The second looks at how to satisfy older people's travel demand, focusing on special transport Services, in particular electric scooters.
Definite mobility changes occur when older drivers reduce or cease driving. In a majority of cases, mobility declines. Fewer trips will be taken, shorter distances will be traveled, fewer or no trips will be taken under certain conditions, and the older person will be more often traveling according to the schedules and convenience of others. Older drivers make about six trips/week, in contrast to two trips/week for older nondrivers. The older person who reduces or ceases driving bears the brunt of the changes that occur in terms of monetary, social, psychological, and emotional costs. When it is not possible to maintain previous connections established by our elderly citizens, society suffers from the lack of access to the expertise of these older adults as well as from the loss of their productivity as workers and volunteers. Thus there are many reasons to take steps to reduce the potential mobility losses associated with the reduction or cessation of driving. The concept that life depends on driving is less prevalent when other travel options are available. Adults who had access to a well-developed public transportation system and who could live in close proximity to the kinds of shopping and recreational opportunities that appeal to seniors felt that a car was not a necessity to live an active life. They could control their mobility choices and could make reasoned choices about whether to drive.
This paper will identify and explore the withdrawal of socially necessary public transport services from low income housing estates within the United Kingdom. Using 'stranded mobility' analysis developed in South Africa to discuss the situation of the townships, the paper will explore the interaction between land use planning and transport logics behind the development of peripheral housing estates and demonstrate how changes in planning logics and changes in the organisation of public transport finance have left the residents of these peripheral estates stranded. The changes in planning logic and transport finance as they stand constitute a network failure. The failure of transport experts and social policy analysts to identify, measure and rectify these core failures represents network failure at yet another level - a failure within the network of policy analysis. This paper builds on an existing body of work developed by the authors and extends the analysis of 'stranded mobility' presented as a keynote presentation at the International Association of Travel Behaviour Research at its meeting in Lucerne in 2003.
This paper addresses the theoretical and empirical issues involved in modeling complex travel patterns. Existing models have the shortcoming of not representing the interdependencies among trip links in trip chains with multiple non-home stops. A theoretical model based on utility theory and explicitly accounting for the trade-offs involved in the choice of multiple-stop chains is developed. Using this theoretical model, utility maximizing conditions for a household's choice of a daily travel pattern are derived. The optimum travel pattern is described in terms of the number of chairs (tours) traveled on a given day and in terms of the number of stops (sojourns) made on each of those chains. For a given household, the form of the optimum pattern is a function of the transportation expenditures (time, cost) required to reach potential destinations. Constraints on the conditions of optimality due to the limited and discrete nature of travel pattern alternatives are also considered. Parameters of the general utility function were estimated empirically using actual travel data derived from a home interview survey taken in Washington, D.C. The multinomial logit model is used to relate utility scores for the alternative travel patterns to choice probabilities. The resulting parameter estimates agree with theoretical expectations and with empirical results obtained in other studies. In order to demonstrate the empirical and theoretical implications of the model, forecasts for various transportation policies (e.g., gasoline price increases, transit fare reductions), as made by this model and by other less complex models, are compared. The results of these comparisons indicate the need for expanding the scope of existing travel forecasting models to explicit considerations of trip chaining behavior.
We present an integrated activity-based discrete choice model system of an individual's activity and travel schedule, for forecasting urban passenger travel demand. A prototype demonstrates the system concept using a 1991 Boston travel survey and transportation system level of service data. The model system represents a person's choice of activities and associated travel as an activity pattern overarching a set of tours. A tour is defined as the travel from home to one or more activity locations and back home again. The activity pattern consists of important decisions that provide overall structure for the day's activities and travel. In the prototype the activity pattern includes (a) the primary - most important - activity of the day, with one alternative being to remain at home for all the day's activities; (b) the type of tour for the primary activity, including the number, purpose and sequence of activity stops; and (c) the number and purpose of secondary - additional - tours. Tour models include the choice of time of day, destination and mode of travel, and are conditioned by the choice of activity pattern. The choice of activity pattern is influenced by the expected maximum utility derived from the available tour alternatives.
In this study, the influence of 8 dimensions of the physical environment on mobility in older adults with and without mobility disability was measured. This was done in order to identify environmental factors that contribute to mobility disability.
Subjects were 36 older adults ((> or = 70 years of age) who were recruited from 2 geographic sites (Seattle, Wash, and Waterloo, Ontario, Canada) and were grouped according to level of mobility function (physically able [ability to walk 1/2 mile (0.8 km) or climb stairs without assistance], physically disabled).
Subjects were observed and videotaped during 3 trips into the community (trip to grocery store, physician visit, recreational trip). Frequency of encounters with environmental features within each of the 8 dimensions was recorded. Differences in baseline characteristics and environmental encounters were analyzed using an analysis of variance or the Fisher exact test, as appropriate.
Mobility disability among older adults was not associated with a uniform decrease in encounters with environmental challenges across all dimensions. Environmental dimensions that differed between subjects who were physically able and those with physical disability included temporal factors, physical load, terrain, and postural transition. Dimensions that were not different included distance, density, ambient conditions (eg, light levels and weather conditions), and attentional demands.
Understanding the relationship of the environment to mobility is crucial to both prevention and rehabilitation of mobility disability in older adults. Among older adults, certain dimensions of the environment may disable community mobility more than others.
Some aspects of travel by older people
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The elderly and mobility: A review of the literature. Monash University Accident Research Centre
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Transport mode choice of the elderly and disabled in London Environmental demands associated with community mobility in older adults with and without mobility disabilities
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Trip chaining behavior of older people in the US and London: effects of medical conditions and urban form
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Trip-chaining trends in the United States
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Effects of household and individual characteristics on the shopping tours of older people: an analysis of LATS
- F Su
- M G H Bell