ABSTRACT
This chapter aims to explore the relationship between an ageing population and mobility from the transport planning perspective. As a barrier-free transport system with multiple travel alternatives for older adults is highly recognized as the essential factor towards active ageing in an ageing society, it is important for transport planners and experts to investigate the public transport system that the elderly commonly use. Hence, contexts of transport planning are highly related to meeting the demands of future users, including travellers’ behaviour analysis, network designs, barrier-free designs, and age-friendly services. The first part of this chapter starts with reviewing the literatures and past studies to identify the main discussions regarding ageing and mobility. In addition, a review of the highlights listed in the transport domain of the age-friendly cities and communities program and the indicators established by the WHO thereof is completed. The second part of the chapter focuses on the discussion on barrier-free public transportation, as it is the main component in transport planning in modern urban planning practice. Although public transport may differentiate between riding behaviour among various scales of cities, it is still considered to be the most needed and safest transport mode contributing to an active ageing lifestyle. Possible related socioeconomic factors are investigated to better gauge the extent to which these relevant factors are correlated with the satisfaction older adults feel towards public transportation. The final part of this chapter is a case study of Taiwan, where public transport seems to be an ideal transport mode for older adults in high density cities but with extensive tasks in practice.
A national survey with over 1,600 telephone interviews of older adults aged 55+ was conducted to apprehend the demand and satisfaction with the public transport system in Taiwan. Three factors related to satisfaction with the public transport were tested, namely, ‘Transit Service Quality’, ‘Public Transit System’, and ‘Transit Design and Environment’. A multiple regression analysis and Box-Cox transformation were further carried out to test for relationships between the aforementioned satisfaction factors and Automobile Ownership (which includes both cars and scooters), Number of Stations, Regional Government Transport Budget, Public Transit Use and Elderly Dependent People. The analyses revealed several salient findings, the two most important of which are (1) Scooter Ownership, Public Transit Use and the Elderly Dependent People apparently correlate with the characteristics of ‘Transit Service Quality’ and ‘Transit Design and Environment’; and (2) all variables were found to be significant in regards to the ‘Public Transit System’. The results indicate that the different characteristics of public transport lead different socioeconomic factors that raise a specific transport issue. We found that despite the increasing danger of usage, the scooter plays a crucial role among elderly users due to the fact that it is a low-cost and highly accessible mode of transport. Hence, in the conclusion and discussion, we restate the urgent need for travel behaviour change of older adults in heading towards an age-friendly city by matching public transport planning with demands.
