The Dutch elderly's preferences toward a smart demand-responsive transport service

Abstract The ageing of the population poses mobility-related challenges worldwide. The emergence of new transport services that utilise technological innovations allows for new, more convenient ways to provide demand-responsive transport services in areas with limited or no regular public transport service. The question is how the features of these new services are preferred by all age groups, in particular, those with limited mobility, such as the elderly. In this study, we evaluate the preference of the elderly toward Breng flex, a smart Demand Responsive Transport (DRT) service offered in two adjacent Dutch cities and their surroundings. We combine results from expert interviews (n = 4), a face-to-face survey with elderly non-users of Breng flex (n = 38), and an online survey of Breng flex users of all ages (n = 958). The results illustrate fourteen features of smart forms of DRT that are preferred by the elderly, three of which are identified here for the first time. We discuss the trade-off between various features for the case study area and make suggestions regarding the design of a mobility service that can improve accessibility of the elderly.

[1]  A. Siren,et al.  Mobility in different generations of older persons: The development of daily travel in different cohorts in Denmark, Norway and Sweden , 2010 .

[2]  Marcus P. Enoch,et al.  INTERMODE: innovations in Demand Responsive Transport , 2004 .

[3]  A. Strauss,et al.  Basics of qualitative research: Grounded theory procedures and techniques. , 1992 .

[4]  James Carifio,et al.  Resolving the 50‐year debate around using and misusing Likert scales , 2008, Medical education.

[5]  Christa Hubers,et al.  Future mobility in an ageing society – Where are we heading? , 2015 .

[6]  P Bakker.  LARGE SCALE DEMAND RESPONSIVE TRANSIT SYSTEMS - A LOCAL SUBURBAN TRANSPORT SOLUTION FOR THE NEXT MILLENNIUM , 1999 .

[7]  Fengming Su,et al.  Transport for older people: Characteristics and solutions , 2009 .

[8]  Marcus P. Enoch,et al.  Investigating the contribution of Demand Responsive Transport to a sustainable local public transport system , 2014 .

[9]  L Sen,et al.  MOBILITY OPTIONS FOR SENIORS , 2004 .

[10]  Stephen Potter,et al.  Demand responsive transport : a review of schemes in England and Wales , 2009 .

[11]  L Spazzafumo,et al.  Outdoor mobility and social relationships of elderly people. , 1997, Archives of gerontology and geriatrics.

[12]  Nick Tyler,et al.  Accessibility and the bus system : from concepts to practice , 2002 .

[13]  Karel Martens,et al.  Ageing, impairments and travel: Priority setting for an inclusive transport system , 2018 .

[14]  Anders Wretstrand,et al.  Exploring public transport as an element of older persons' mobility: A Capability Approach perspective , 2015 .

[15]  Milos N. Mladenovic,et al.  Policy lessons from the flexible transport service pilot Kutsuplus in the Helsinki Capital Region , 2017, Transport Policy.

[16]  N. B. Hounsell,et al.  Review of Public Transport Needs of Older People in European Context , 2016, Journal of Population Ageing.

[17]  Ruth L. Steiner,et al.  Uber for Seniors?: Exploring Transportation Options for the Future , 2017 .

[18]  H. Kunz,et al.  Stereoselective synthesis of enantiomerically pure nupharamine alkaloids from castoreum. , 2009, Angewandte Chemie.

[19]  Lesley Strawderman,et al.  Transportation alternative preferences of the aging population , 2016 .

[20]  Tao Chen,et al.  Population ageing, gender and the transportation system , 2012 .

[21]  Susan Shaheen,et al.  Shared ride services in North America: definitions, impacts, and the future of pooling , 2018, Transport Reviews.

[22]  Shing Chung Josh Wong,et al.  Elderly users’ level of satisfaction with public transport services in a high-density and transit-oriented city , 2017 .

[23]  S. Webber,et al.  Mobility in older adults: a comprehensive framework. , 2010, The Gerontologist.

[24]  Sandra Rosenbloom,et al.  How adult children in the UK and the US view the driving cessation of their parents: Is a policy window opening? , 2010 .

[25]  P. Bakker,et al.  Understanding Travel Behaviour of “People with a Travel-Impeding Handicap” -- “Each Trip Counts” , 2007 .

[26]  John D. Nelson,et al.  User perspectives on emerging mobility services: Ex post analysis of Kutsuplus pilot , 2018, Research in Transportation Business & Management.

[27]  Peggy Shannon-Baker,et al.  Making Paradigms Meaningful in Mixed Methods Research , 2016 .

[28]  Alejandro Tirachini,et al.  The economics and engineering of bus stops: Spacing, design and congestion , 2014 .

[29]  Catherine Morency,et al.  Mode use and trip length of seniors in Montreal , 2013 .

[30]  M. Gather,et al.  European national government approaches to older people's transport system needs , 2017 .

[31]  Sungyop Kim,et al.  Assessing mobility in an aging society: Personal and built environment factors associated with older people's subjective transportation deficiency in the US , 2011 .

[32]  John D. Nelson,et al.  Key lessons learned from recent experience with Flexible Transport Services , 2007 .

[33]  J. Mageean,et al.  The evaluation of demand responsive transport services in Europe , 2003 .

[34]  W. Y. Szeto,et al.  Public transport policy measures for improving elderly mobility , 2018 .

[35]  Judith Lynne Charlton,et al.  The Elderly and Mobility: A Review of the Literature , 2006 .

[36]  John D. Nelson,et al.  Transport poverty meets the digital divide: accessibility and connectivity in rural communities , 2012 .