This report investigates the movements of elderly people living on Tyneside. It is based on four similar travel surveys conducted over a period of 16 months. Initially, old-age pensioners were entitled to a half-fare concession on buses in off-peak hours from Monday to Friday and all day Sunday. The last three surveys were carried out after the concession had been changed to zero-fare and extended to include Saturdays. The work investigates the overall patterns of travel by different modes and for different purposes, in relation to various personal and household characteristics; the effects of changing from a half-fare to a zero-fare concession; and the seasonal differences in travel patterns. Excluding walk trips of less than half-a-mile, which were not recorded in the surveys, elderly people made on average 10.8 trips per week, of which 56 per cent were by bus, 23 per cent by car and 18 per cent on foot. If all walk trips had been included then walking would probably have been the most frequently used mode. It is estimated that the change in concession generated a 34 per cent increase in the number of bus trips made. In early summer, 8 per cent more trips were made than in early spring, the difference being mainly in recreational trips. (Author/publisher)
Abstract