This paper investigates the rural mobility and accessibility challenges of a specific target group - Seniors. The target group is those over 66 years of age entitled to use the Public Transport (PT) Free Travel Scheme in rural Ireland. The paper explores at a high level some of the projected rural PT challenges and requirements over the next twenty years, noting that statistical predictions show that there will be a significant population demographic shift.

    Astonishingly, the Central Statistics Office (CSO) has forecasted that by the middle of this century, the Irish Senior's age profile will have increased by 98%. By 2051, over 1.6 million over 65’s will be living in the Republic of Ireland [1].

    Using the Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Environmental, and Legal factors (PESTEL) framework, the literature review explored existing research concerning mobility and accessibility challenges faced by Seniors.

    Twenty-seven qualitative, in-depth interviews with stakeholders within the ecosystem were undertaken. The stakeholders included rural PT customers, Local-Link managers, National Transport Authority (NTA) senior management, a Minister of State, and a European parliament policymaker.

    To address the breadth and range of the research, the interviewees were subdivided into two stakeholder groupings, Tier 1 and Tier 2. Tier 1 interviewee feedback spotlights that the PT network system does not exist for rural patients to access hospital facilities. The findings indicated that Mobility as a Service (MaaS) is potentially revolutionary in the PT arena to help address transport poverty in rural locations.

    Finally, this paper suggests several short-, medium- and long-term recommendations based on the research findings. These recommendations are a potential springboard to ensure that rural PT is suitable for future Irish generations.


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    Title :

    Investigate the Rural Mobility and Accessibility Challenges of Seniors


    Additional title:

    Lect.Notes Mobility



    Conference:

    Transport Research Arena Conference ; 2024 ; Dublin, Ireland April 15, 2024 - April 18, 2024



    Publication date :

    2025-03-07


    Size :

    6 pages





    Type of media :

    Article/Chapter (Book)


    Type of material :

    Electronic Resource


    Language :

    English





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