Misunderstandings are always caused by the inability of appreciating one another's point of view. Boomers still drive after age 65, according to Stats Canada 79% of men and 44% of women, use their cars as their main source of transportation. Public Transportation is not an option for our age group.
A minority of us use a primary means of transportation other than a car (public transit, walking, accessible transit or taxi). According to a report by Called Profile of Seniors’ Transportation Habits by Martin Turcotte published in 2012 by Stats Canada, among men aged 65 to 74, 84% got around mainly by driving their car, and 9% by being a passenger in a car That left 4% using public transit, 3% walking or bicycling, and the rest using accessible transit or taxis.
As people get older, travelling as a passenger in a private vehicle becomes their main form of transportation; this is the case for about one-half of seniors aged 85 and over (with or without a licence). This was even more common among women of this age group, as 52% travelled primarily as passengers and had no licence while another 7% had a licence but travelled mainly as passengers.
Seniors do not use public transit more often as their main form of transportation as they get older. Nor does occasional use increase with age. Part of the decline in the use of public transit with age is due to the fact that on average, seniors go out less often than we used to go out.
Public transportation, unless you live in Metro Vancouver is relatively infrequent in low residential density neighbourhoods. In those neighbourhoods, public transit, if any, is designed primarily to meet the needs of workers (rush-hour service to key destinations such as the downtown core or main work areas).
In addition, being unable to drive may mean being unable to use regular public transit. Some seniors with reduced mobility could use accessible transit services, but these are not available in every city or every neighbourhood.
Most people probably consider accessible transit and taxis as options of last resort, and people who depend on such forms of transportation may have reduced mobility. On the other hand, accessible transit and taxis may be very important to people who cannot drive and whose relatives do not live nearby or are not always available.
The research shows that before the age of 85, a very small minority of seniors use either of these types of transportation. The picture is different for people aged 85 and over, especially women: 9% of them used accessible transit or taxis as their primary means of transportation.
Outside census metropolitan areas, alternatives to the car are virtually non-existent as primary means of travel. Only 1% of seniors living outside census metropolitan report that their primary form of transportation was accessible transit or taxis, compared with 3% in a major metro area of Canada.
This inability to get around on one’s own makes it difficult to age at home, which is an idea supported by all levels of government, at least in theory. There is growing acceptance of the idea that leading an active life and participating in social activities promotes good health and successful ageing. Consequently, governments are encouraging such behaviours and activities, and are also developing policies to eliminate barriers to participation.
Seniors whose main form of transportation was driving their car were the most likely to have taken part in a social activity during the previous week (73%), with passengers who had a driver’s licence close behind (69%). Public transit users and seniors who walked were a little less likely to participate (61% and 66% respectively). People who were mainly passengers and did not have a licence (53%) and people who used accessible transit or taxis (46%) had the lowest participation rates.
Women, particularly those 85 and over, were much more likely to be in the last two groups. When all other factors affecting social participation were kept constant (age, health status, sex, income level, household status, mental health, type of place of residence), the conclusion was the same: seniors who travelled mostly by driving their car were more likely to participate than those who used any other form of transportation (except passengers with a licence, who were not significantly different from driver.
A majority of seniors live in areas where the car is the primary form of transportation. So, it is not surprising to find that the majority of seniors, even those of more advanced ages, travel mostly by car. I suspect that the majority of us have no intention of moving and plan to remain where we live as long as possible. The number and proportion of seniors who drive can, therefore, be expected to increase over the coming years.
In 2009, three-quarters of all seniors had a driver’s licence. For men, being an older senior is not an obstacle to driving. In the 85-and over age group, 67% of men and 26% of women had a licence. This large gap between men and women aged 85 and over is expected to diminish in the future since almost as many women as men aged 55 to 64 had a driver’s licence.
If all levels of government are serious about helping seniors age in place, then they have to start looking at ways to improve public transit for seniors.
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