Innovation: Older people and public transport

Zagreb, Croatia

AAI Domains:

• Capacity and enabling environment (use of ICT)

• Participation in society (social connectedness, political participation)

As the population ages this creates a range of challenges in cities ranging from accessibility of buildings through the speed at which people are expected to cross roads controlled by traffic signals and wider issues of public transport. Being able to get around a city safely at a reasonable cost is important to people of all ages but is going to be ever more important as the proportion of older people increases as many will rely on public transport. Without the ability to get around their home city older people are at elevated risk of social isolation and loneliness that can have profoundly negative effects on health and well-being.

The pan-European Civitas Elan project operated in five medium sized cities – Ljubljana (Slovenia), Ghent (Belgium), Brno (Czech Republic), Porto (Portugal) and Zagreb (Croatia) – that were all committed to improving the mobility and transport options for their citizens in order to ensure access and health for all. This involved developing a wide range of innovative urban transport solutions that included improvements to physical infrastructure, applying new technologies and changing the behaviour of citizens.

This latter dimension involved using a citizen centred approach in each city with mutual learning across the cities in established and new member states. Solutions included policies to increase the levels of walking and bicycling, improved coordination of public transport and more environmentally sustainable solutions, such as gas-powered buses, to improve the quality of life for people of all ages.

In Zagreb, the capital and largest city in Croatia with a population of more than 800,000 people, it was recognised that with one in six people already older than 65 years it was very important to make public transport more age-friendly. Older people are particularly at risk of social isolation and loneliness through the loss social connectedness that a good public transport system can enable, as are other groups such as disabled people who use wheelchairs and even parents of young children who use prams or buggies.

The citizen centred approach involved 17 workshops with more than 500 older people, often in residential homes, to gain a greater understanding of the issues they faced and the feasibility of possible solutions. A series of four workshops were also held with more than 160 public transport drivers to gather their views on the relevant issues. Improving the safety and reliability of public transport for older people as well as increasing the understanding among staff of the needs of older people were identified as three key priorities.

Zagreb had introduced 70 low-floor trams and 100 low-floor buses, an e-ticketing system and electronic information at stops on the time until the next bus or tram so a training session for older people was developed on how to safely use these new provisions. A brochure and a video were also produced explaining how the new systems worked and emphasising safety when using public transport. There was positive feedback from both older people and public transport drivers following the dialogue and training courses.

In terms of active ageing, the programme to help older people use public transport is particularly relevant to enabling them to maintain social connectedness by being able to access public transport more readily. The emphasis on physical safety is also important as the risk of injury from falls on public transport should not be ignored. The ability to safely use and an age-friendly public transport system enables older people, and other disadvantaged groups, to live independently. Finally, the wider system involved the use of ICT to provide all users of public transport with reliable real-time information.

Websites

Eltis

Civitas Initiative