Active transport accessibility by the seniors of retirement villages in Australia : lessons for developing countries

The ageing population (i.e., seniors) in Australia is increasing. Accessibility to basic services by the seniors is a prime issue in maintaining their quality of life. Transport has been identified as being directly related to quality of life because it affects many areas of a persons’ life, such as community integration or isolation, access to social networks, ability to maintain independence, and access to essential services and recreational pursuits. Trend of the seniors wanting to actively participate in societal life is growing over time; so, it is necessary to determine whether the transport needs of the seniors are being met effectively. The aim of this paper is to draw seniors’ perceptions of current active transport services in Australia undertaking a case study on six retirement villages in Brisbane and the Gold Coast in order to provide some strategic guidelines to improve the systems. In particular, the study provides major city-specific seniors’ perceptions about public bus and information services, especially their level of satisfaction with the current bus services. The study also highlights some lessons learned for the seniors of developing countries large cities.