A mixed-methods investigation of older adults’ public transit use and travel satisfaction

Public transit may be a low-cost and environmentally friendly way for older adults to maintain independent mobility as they age, and yet little is known about older adults’ transit travel behaviours or travel satisfaction. To address this research gap, this paper explores older people’s (60+) responses to a travel survey on the Hamilton Street Railway (HSR). Distributed in 2019 to residents of Hamilton, Ontario, 5844 people responded to the survey, 1002 of which were aged 60 years or older. Descriptive statistics were conducted to assess older adults’ responses, as well as to compare these responses to respondents aged 18–59 years. A thematic analysis of responses to an open-ended question was also completed. The results indicate that older adults are more frequently occasional transit users (monthly, annually) than younger people who more frequently use the bus daily. Older adults are also more satisfied with the transit service than those aged 18–59 years. Older respondents were least satisfied with comfort amenities at bus stops and shelters and bus crowdedness. However, their satisfaction with these aspects of the service is not statistically significantly different from younger adults. From the thematic analysis, the top barrier shared by older adults is related to accessing the transit service. Across older adults, women, employed people, and those without a car or a driver’s license were more likely to be frequent transit riders. Taken together, this paper sheds light on an understudied population’s transit experiences and can be used to inform policy on how to make public transit more age-friendly.