Mobility Scooter Usage in London – Results From the Scootability Project

Mobility is inextricably linked to the quality of life, and becomes critical for older people and those with disabilities. Without effective assistance, the quality of life for those with disabilities is diminished. Mobility impairments increase with age, and given the aging of the population, it is increasingly important to provide diverse accessible transport services to meet this growing need. Compared with public transport modes, the private car has one important advantage: relative independence for the driver concerning time and destination. Many older people therefore do not want to give up driving. The personal electric vehicles (PEV), as an alternative private mode, can provide independent travel to older people. Moreover, the health requirements for using a PEV are less than for driving a car. Personal electric vehicles (PEV), especially scooters, are increasingly popular among older people. Some schemes related to scooters are appearing. ScootAbility is a scheme piloted in the London borough of Camden and Islington. The scheme is aimed at people aged 55 and over living in the borough with mobility impairments and is open to people from different ethnic communities. The project is particularly targeted at isolated/housebound and disabled older people. The scheme provides Personal Electric Vehicles - scooters or electric wheelchairs on loan. The scooters are currently provided without charge and are delivered to the person’s home but have to be prebooked at least 2 days. The maximum period of rent is 3 days at a time. It is expected that the experience of the scheme will cast light on the merits of extending the scheme to a wider area and people under 55. During the assessment of ScootAbility, a series of in-depth focus groups were convened to investigate older people’s experiences, and the reasons why some eligible older people do not use it. In addition to focus groups, travel diaries were assigned to a small sample of older people. They were required to fill this on every day for one month before joining ScootAbility and again for every day during one month after joining ScootAbility. The focus of the travel diary is to find out the impact of the scheme on older people’s travel behavior.