Transportation for the elderly : the Oak Ridge, Tennessee experience

Major developments relative to improved mobility for the elderly have occurred with increasing frequency within the last decade. The same is also true with practically all aspects of community, state, and national transportation services. However, due to the increased interest of the federal government and the legislation that it has subsequently formulated, transportation services for the elderly have received a great deal of attention and concern. In view of the increasing need for appropriate technologies, the matter that was investigated is one example of such a specialized service for the elderly and its apparent success.

Two primary research techniques were utilized to collect the data that was necessary to analyze the subject transportation service. These were a thorough review of the existing literature pertinent to the subject area and an extensive survey of the service users. The literature search was used mostly for background purposes while the user survey was useful in obtaining current and relevant feedback on the service being investigated. The survey was formulated with three objectives in mind. The first of these was to produce a general socioeconomic profile of a typical service user for comparison to the findings published by the city of Oak Ridge soon after the special transportation service was inaugurated. The remaining objectives focused on an attempt at determining the Oak Ridge elderly's travel patterns and needs.

The area of transportation services for the elderly is currently in the midst of an intensive research and development period. Innovative techniques and research are being attempted in many areas and are being reported on a regular basis. Current conclusions are that an assortment of approaches will be necessary to alleviate the array of elderly transportation needs. A related conclusion is that local differences in land use and area, population characteristics and government interest and capability will also affect the formulation of any specific transportation service for the elderly.

The principal findings of this study concern the user and the system. Based on the outcome of the survey, the typical user of the Oak Ridge system is very similar to the group observed in practically all other research of this type. That is, the customer most often served is a female, over 65 years of age, widowed, with a limited annual income, and infrequent access to any other transportation mode. These same people, at this stage of their lives, normally desire to make trips to medical and shopping centers. Those surveyed in Oak Ridge appear to be quite satisfied with the transportation service being provided to them. All others involved were also pleased with the project's outcome. The city has managed to serve the needs of a specific population segment in a cost-effective manner, and the taxi operators have increased their volume of business.

As noted earlier, it is the lack of mobility of the elderly that has brought about this and other research efforts. The conclusion reached following this specific effort is that the mobility of many of the elderly in Oak Ridge has improved. Regular increases in taxi fare coupons sold to the elderly, and the comments of the city officials, the taxi operators, and the users all corroborate the truth of this conclusion. Nevertheless, to have arrived at such a level of success it is implied that the service concept must also be appropriate for the situation. . Indeed, the other major conclusion of the research is that the Oak Ridge system is appropriate for other communities with similar needs, provided they recognize their own special needs and apply the concept accordingly.