Travel behaviour of older people

There is an increase in the number of older people across the world. They have different travel patterns and exercise different travel behaviour than the general population. Typically, older people do less travelling and use more diverse modes, travelling more for leisure and shopping than they do for work. The surrounding environment, including infrastructure, social and cultural elements, is often an additional barrier to getting out and about for older people. Better recognition of older people’s travel behaviour at a policy level is needed, including more involvement of older people in shaping policy and adopting a life course approach may improve mobility in later life. Models and theories show psychosocial and affective motivations for mobility that are not well catered for if people do not want to drive, Future travel behaviour change, automated vehicles, mobility as a service and smart cities for example, may also help older people’s mobility.