The number of older people is increasing, especially those over 85. To meet their mobility and transport needs, there is a growing dependency on technology. While technology has the benefit to deliver significant benefits, it could risk loss of independence. This study examines what needs to change to enable a greater number of older travellers to access new technologies. It makes several recommendations for future research and greater user-centred design.
The number of older people aged over 65 is set to increase for at least 20 years. This has implications for mobility and engagement with transport technology. In the public transport environment, efforts have been focused on modifying vehicles and physical infrastructure such as stations, stops and equipment (e.g. ticket machines), to enhance accessibility, while policy and legislation have defined duties of care for transport providers towards older people. However, there is a lack of information and service provision for older travellers. Journey planning websites cannot provide the complete detailed information. Therefore, there is a need for better provision of accessibility-related information on multimodal door-to-door journeys.
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Source: European Commission
