A Coming of Age: the mobility needs of older people

Stuart Murray launched the North West Transport Roundtable during the time he ran the Greater Manchester Transport Resource Unit. He later worked for Help the Aged and is now the Integrated Social Needs Transport Programme Manager at Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM). His article below addressing the increasingly complex transport needs of an ageing society appeared in Local Transport Today (LTT 578 26 August - 8 September 2011).

Within the next ten years something like a quarter of the population will be aged 65 or over. This is a large constituent part of the population which, in an area like Greater Manchester, primarily has to be seen as an important resource for the health and wellbeing of the whole conurbation. There are, however, real challenges associated with the provision of local transport and mobility services to older people. Responses to these challenges will help to determine how effectively the city region can deliver its economic and social cohesion objectives.

Take employment, increases in likely retirement ages, and the patterns of movement associated with work in later life. Put simply, the biggest drop off in trip making occurs when people stop working. For each year of deferred retirement this predicted decline in journeys will simply not occur, effectively fuelling the pressure on traffic volumes. Older workers also form a disproportionately high element of those being recruited to the part time workforce, often working with flexibility and destination patterns that are less likely to be catered for by conventional public transport networks. Of course, as more older people hold driver licences, it is reasonable to assume that they will exercise options to drive to these jobs, probably at the expense of less mobile younger workers.

There is also an increasing drive towards active ageing and the encouragement of preventative services, reliant on good mobility, in health and social care provision. Underlying this is a health and social care model (which most people would probably sign up to) that is about staying as hale and hearty as possible, for as long as possible, then dying relatively quickly (the 'compression of morbidity'). For many, the opportunities afforded by fitness, pension provision and time have translated into a generation of older people who have the energy and resources necessary to be important customers and significant consumers in local economies and further afield. This way of living is based in part on mobility and it is interesting to note that the 60-69 age group is now that which most closely matches the national trip rate averages (NTS 2010)

The contribution of many older people to their own communities is also a very important part of both the social 'glue' which binds people and organisations together and the 'oil' which makes the city run more smoothly. You will be hard pressed to find groups which do not have a degree of reliance on the contributions of older people. Schools need governing bodies, civic life needs magistrates and councillors, the children of working men and women in all fields need childcare support. The list could go on and represents commitments which older people are frequently central to, often requiring complicated and diverse patterns of travel just to keep family and community life moving.

Another thing that can almost be guaranteed is that older people will pass through one or more 'transitions', requiring significant lifestyle changes (Audit Commission 2008). Some of these transitions are often seen as opportunities - children leaving home, ending full time paid employment, more leisure time, downsizing homes. Others increase the likelihood of dependency - falling income, illness, bereavement, living alone. These are critical times when behavioural change takes place, with different travel choices being tried or required. They should also be points when travel training and mobility counselling initiatives have optimum chances of success, including some which could reduce the reliance on driving.

In the context of those who experience real mobility problems, there are the costs of failing to meet individual needs which may easily accrue to other public services. Missing a health appointment for lack of transport is not acceptable for the individual or society if it makes effective treatment more expensive over time. It is likely that the provision of an efficient door to door link for those who are too frail to use the bus can be a life(style) saving service which can combat social isolation, sustain confidence in independent living, and reduce the reliance on friends and relatives to ensure that people can, for example, shop or maintain contact with others.

This article aims to highlight the positive impacts of older people on society, with transport in its proper role of a means to an end. However, there is also the unavoidable fact the current demographic profile of the ageing population in the UK does mean much larger absolute numbers of the eldest older people. In a city region like Greater Manchester this will translate into a doubling of people who are over the age of 80 and so it is not surprising that we are experiencing a steady growth in, for example, their use of Ring and Ride services. Ridership by over 80s is now in excess of 40% of total journeys. In relation to conventional public transport, for all passengers entitled to use free concessionary passes the costs of supporting greater numbers of increasingly active older people over many years is guaranteeing rising revenue costs which will be politically difficult to limit.

This discussion is about a very significant proportion of the population. With age a protected characteristic in terms of equalities duties, the diverse needs and transport demands amongst older people warrant a greater focus of attention. There is a need for intelligent and informed strategic thinking in this whole area, which, critically, has to avoid the default position which always seems to focus on frailty and dependence. It should recognise that dependence and independence are not necessarily opposites in this context; a reliance on good support with transport will aid effective independent mobility. This is something that urgently needs to inform future transport planning processes.

Stuart Murray August 2011

Stuart Murray has been working for Transport for Greater Manchester for over five years as the Integrated Social Needs Transport Project Manager and has also studied gerontology at the University of Salford. This article is written in a personal capacity.