Friendly bus travel a big plus for older users

Australian bus transport needs to be specifically aimed at older travellers in order to assist with people remaining active, socially connected, and involved in meaningful life activities.

A study by Kieran Broome, Emily Nalder, and Linda Worrall of the University of Queensland and Duncan Boldy of Curtin University of Technology, published in the Australasian Journal on Ageing, emphasized that driver friendliness, ease of entry and exit, and easy information were the key positive points for older people.

They said that transport had a vital role to play in promoting health by enabling people to remain active and socially connected compared with the inability to use public transport being associated with depression, increased social isolation, and reduced activities away from home.

For older bus travellers the main problems in priority listing were unsuitable timetables including infrequent buses, inappropriate bus locations, difficulty with entry and exit, bad bus routes, lack of connections and bus shelters, and unfriendly or unhelpful drivers.