The Effects of a Free Bus Program on Travel Behaviour of Older Adults: A Case Study of a Canadian Suburban Municipality

Public transit can be a potentially attractive alternative to driving for older adults, particularly for those who cannot drive due to health decline. Encouraging the shift of older adult travel behaviour from automobiles to transit could be accomplished through incentive programs. An example is the free bus/transit programs, which are more commonplace in Europe and are recently gaining popularity in Canada and the US. In this paper, short surveys (n = 131) and semi-structured interviews (n = 16) were utilized to explore older adults’ travel behaviour and experiences related to a recently introduced free transit program in the suburban municipality of Oakville, Ontario, Canada. Results from logistic regression models suggest that older adults with lower incomes, those who drive more during the week, and who live closer to downtown are more likely to have benefited from Oakville’s free bus program. The common reasons for using the program related to scheduling, the opportunity to produce and maintain social capital, financial savings and declining health. Some older adults did not use the program because they already had a subsidized monthly pass or when using bus was inconvenient. This research expands on a limited North American literature on the impacts of free bus programs among older adults. The North American population is aging rapidly, and most older adults would live in suburban communities in coming decades. In this context, the findings from this research may help planners and policy makers accommodate for older adults’ travel needs and preferences in suburban municipalities.

• Supplemental Notes:
  • This paper was sponsored by TRB committee AP030 Standing Committee on Public Transportation Marketing and Fare Policy. Alternate title: Effects of Free Bus Program on Travel Behavior of Older Adults: Case Study of a Canadian Suburban Municipality
• Corporate Authors:

  Transportation Research Board

  500 Fifth Street, NW
  Washington, DC  United States  20001
• Authors:
  • Mah, Stephanie
  • Mitra, Raktim
• Conference:
  • Transportation Research Board 95th Annual Meeting
  • Location: Washington DC, United States
  • Date: 2016-1-10 to 2016-1-14
• Date: 2016

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Features: Maps; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 17p
• Monograph Title: TRB 95th Annual Meeting Compendium of Papers

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Aged; Bus transit; Case studies; Free fares; Suburbs; Travel behavior
• Geographic Terms: Oakville (Canada)
• Subject Areas: Planning and Forecasting; Public Transportation; I72: Traffic and Transport Planning;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01589830
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: 16-2959
• Files: TRIS, TRB, ATRI
• Created Date: Feb 4 2016 9:24AM