Krakow offers public transport-related training to seniors

Krakow Municipality has engaged a local NGO¹, Senior na Czasie (Senior Update), to assist AENEAS in its efforts to offer training to senior citizens. The partnership conducted training sessions for 250 older people, held on the premises of public transport operator MPK, from September to November 2009. Prior to the training courses, Senior na Czasie organised two ‘focus group meetings’ for older people in order to discuss common transport problems and receive input about the upcoming AENEAS training. 

The AENEAS training focuses entirely on public transport. In the course of two hours, participants are taught how to use the on-board ticket machines installed in most of Krakow’s trams and buses, and how to use the municipal ticket-vending machines located near public transport stops. Part of the training is also dedicated to safety. Seniors can also learn many interesting things about the technology used in Krakow’s the new low-floor trams, such as voice and visual announcements, ticket punchers and door-closing mechanisms.

During the training sessions, participants are divided into small groups so that each person can ‘put theory into practice’ by buying tickets on their own. The programme concludes with refreshments and small giveaways, for which the participants were surprised and grateful. Training sessions were organised with the cooperation of MPK (Krakow’s biggest public transport operator) and presented by experienced MPK employees who explained all electronic-related issues to the senior participants. MPK has also made specially available one fully operation low-floor tram for training purposes.

Krakow has also used trainings to disseminate AENEAS project information and brochures among older citizens. Workshops have been announced in local media (press, websites, various city media, a KKM computer ‘screen saver’ and a television programme called 'Time for Seniors’.)

Participating seniors have been asked to fill in a questionnaire in order to evaluate the training sessions. Among the results, the most interesting are:

   ● Women comprised 70% of the trainees
   ● Public transport in Krakow received high marks (4.3 on average out of 5) while car travel fared considerably worse (2.2 on average)
   ● Precisely half of trainees have a driving license, of which two-thirds own a care
   ● Training organisation and content received excellent marks (4.8 on average)

Author: Tomasz Zwolinski


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¹ The acronym 'NGO' stands for 'Non-Governmental Organisation’, a public benefit association of citizens