The American Public Transit Association (APTA) has published a report titled ‘Funding the Public Transportation Needs of an Aging Population’. The report argues that anticipated rapid growth in the number of older people in the United States in coming decades will require greatly increased need for expanded and enhanced public transportation services.

The main purposes of the report are: to identify activities needed to expand mobility options for older people, including accessible public transportation services; to quantify demand for these public transportation services; and, estimate the funding needed to provide such services. Some of the actions described in the report are: to upgrade fixed-route public transportation operations and planning; to upgrade public transportation vehicles; to provide and promote actions to help older people take advantage of existing services; to expand supplementary services; and, to apply universal design strategies.

Within the next 20 years, those born during the so-called ‘Baby Boom’ generation (i.e. between 1946 and 1964) will comprise a 79 percent increase in the number of people in the US over the age of 65. Over the next decade, those numbering the 65–74 age group will increase by 51 percent. People in this age range typically have few mobility limitations, but still have unique travel needs. In the decade after 2020, there will be continued growth in the 65–74 age group, but there will be especially rapid growth in the number of people aged between 75 and 84 (an estimated 55-percent increase). People in this age group have greatly reduced mobility.

The analysis estimates that, in 2010, USD 4.2 bln (EUR 3 bln) will be needed to operate a desirable level of public transportation services for older people in the United States; a further USD 616 mln (EUR 440 mln) in capital costs will be required By 2020, annual operating costs are expected to by USD 1.2 bln (EUR 0.9 bln), and annual capital costs could grow by another USD 254 mln (EUR 180 mln). It is estimated that, by 2030, total required annual funding will grow by USD 3.3 bln (EUR 2.4 bln) for operating, and USD 598 mln (EUR 430 mln) for capital. All costs are in 2010 dollars, with no adjustment for inflation, according to transit system surveys.

The report states that the research only begins to define and quantify the public transportation needs of older people. To carry the research to a new level it would be desirable to quantify how older people decide what means of travel to use, and how the availability of various services changes their ability and decisions to engage in activities outside the home. This type of research could lead to a more precise understanding of what should reasonably be considered a “need.” It would also help to understand how various types of service interact, and to which extent various modes can substitute for each other or are needed to meet a variety of different travel needs.

Aside from research about travel behaviour, the report states that it would also help to have better data about currently existing services. Since these services are funded from a wide variety of sources, no one mandatory reporting system is likely to be practical. However, several methods of improved data gathering may be possible, such as: creating a programme for obtaining consistent data from fund recipients; establishing a basic set of required data to be included in transportation inventories; and, creating a voluntary system of reporting under an initiative such as the National Center on Senior Transportation.

This new report is very interesting for the AENEAS project, and it is especially interesting that APTA has recognised the need to respond to the growing number of old people by encouraging them to take full advantage of public transport alternatives.

The report was prepared by Nelson/Nygaard Consulting Associates in San Francisco, California, and it can be read in full here.


Author: Ragnar Domstad