Travel behaviour change in old age: the role of critical incidents in public transport

A Scoping Review of the Factor Associated with Older Adults' Mobility Barriers

The phenomenon of ageing may contribute to the rise of the dependent population. Due to the obstacles and difficulties they confront, the elderly's mobility decreases significantly. The aim of this article is to identify factors associated with mobility barriers in older adults. The method employed is an examination of articles published between 2011 and 2022 to identify common themes in previous studies. Four search engines were being used, and 32 articles have been included. This study demonstrated that health is a major factor associated with decreased mobility. This review identified four types of barriers which are health, built environment, socio-economic background and social relation change. This review could help policy makers and gerontologist in identifying solutions to resolve the mobility issues in older people.

Public Transport Accessibility for People with Disabilities: Protocol of a Scoping Review (Preprint)

BACKGROUND

Transportation is essential for people of all ages and backgrounds to live a fulfilling and satisfying life. Public transport (PT) can facilitate access to the community and improve social participation. However, people with disabilities may encounter barriers or facilitators in the whole travel chain that can lead to negative or positive perceptions in terms of self-efficacy or satisfaction. These barriers may be perceived depending on the nature of the disability. Few studies have identified PT barriers and facilitators experienced by people with disabilities. However, findings were focused mainly on specific disabilities. Access requires broader considerations of barriers and facilitators for various types of disabilities.

OBJECTIVE

This scoping review aims to describe the barriers and facilitators to the use of PT experienced by people with various disabilities in the whole travel chain and to explore perceived experiences, self-efficacy, and satisfaction when using PT.

METHODS

A scoping review will be conducted using Arksey and O'Malley's framework and the PRISMA-ScR (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Extension for Scoping Reviews) checklist. The literature search will be conducted using the electronic databases MEDLINE, Transport Database, and PsycINFO via Ovid platform, Embase, and Web of Science from 1995 to 2022. Two reviewers will independently identify studies based on inclusion (published in English or French, outcomes on PT accessibility for people with disabilities, peer-reviewed or guideline reports or editorials) and exclusion (no full text, focused on a technology system, outcome validation study, study on no-fixed route PT accessibility, etc) criteria and extract the data. When a study has addressed the accessibility of multiple modes of PT, including fixed-route PT, it will be retained. However, only data on fixed-route PT will be extracted. Any related systematic reviews identified through the search will be retained, and the reference lists will be hand-searched and screened for inclusion criteria.

RESULTS

The search we performed on July 21, 2022, in the databases mentioned above allowed us to retrieve 6399 citations. Of these citations, 31 articles were identified, and data extraction was performed. As of March 11, 2023, we have started data analysis. The findings will be synthesized narratively to summarize the barriers and facilitators to PT, perceived experiences with PT, self-efficacy for using PT, and satisfaction with PT according to the Human Development Model-Disability Creation Process conceptual framework.

CONCLUSIONS

The results of this scoping review could lead to a better understanding of the potential barriers and facilitators to the use of PT by people with various types of disabilities and how negative or positive experiences throughout the travel may influence their self-efficacy and satisfaction. The results may be used to provide recommendations to PT providers and policy makers to work together to make PT accessible, usable, and inclusive for all people with disabilities.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

Open Science Framework OSF.IO/2JDQS; https://osf.io/2jdqs.

INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID)

DERR1-10.2196/43188.

An innovative sit-standing seat in urban buses: A new design to prevent falls and non-collision injuries

BACKGROUND: Due to the rapid growth of metropolises and the insufficiency of public transportation, nowadays, many people travel on these vehicles in a standing position. This position leads to discomfort and the risk of falling or non-collision incidents for the passengers. OBJECTIVE: The present study was conducted to analyze an innovative sit-standing seat to prevent falls and non-collision injuries in standing passengers. METHODS: A total of sixteen participated in this study. EMG signal and Borg scale were used to assess muscle activity and discomfort, respectively. RESULTS: The mean Borg scale score for perceived discomfort was lower in the sit-standing position than the standing position in all body organs, except for the hips. Also, in the sit-standing position compared to the standing position, the muscle activity of the soleus and medial gastrocnemius muscles was significantly lower in the constant velocity and entire phases in both legs, lower in the right leg in the acceleration phase and lower in the left leg in the deceleration phase. CONCLUSIONS: So, this seat can be used as an innovative idea to improve the ergonomic condition of standing passengers to prevent falls and non-collision injuries on transit buses.

Determination of critical time points in non-collision incidents of elderly passengers in standing position on urban bus

Objective: Due to the reduced physical ability of elderly, the occurrence of non-collision incidents is higher for these passengers in standing position. Therefore, the purpose of the present study is to determine the critical time points of non-collision incidents using the level of leg muscle activity in elderly standing passengers on urban bus.Methods: To determine the critical time points in the occurrence of non-collision incidents, the level of muscular activity of the standing passengers was analyzed using a surface electromyography (surface EMG) device during the movement scenario of the bus. The results of assessing the leg muscle activity was analyzed in SPSS software.Results: The contraction pattern of the leg muscles in standing passengers was consistent with Newton's First Law. The results showed that the level of muscular activity decreased in the right leg muscles when changing the phase of bus motion from acceleration to constant velocity. This level of muscular activity in the left leg muscles increased when constant velocity changed to deceleration. These changes were quite significant in the medial gastrocnemius and soleus muscles (P < 0.05).Conclusions: According to these findings, it was found that the acceleration and deceleration phases, especially the starting and changing phases of bus motion, are the most critical time points in the occurrence of non-collision incidents in elderly standing passengers on urban bus.

Travel Behavior Change in Older Travelers: Understanding Critical Reactions to Incidents Encountered in Public Transport

Accessibility of travel may be better understood if psychological factors underlying change in travel behavior are known. This paper examines older (65+) travelers’ motives for changing their travel behavior. These changes are grounded in critical incidents earlier encountered in public-transport travel. A scientific framework is developed based on cognitive and behavioral theory. In 29 individual interviews, travelers’ critical reactions (i.e., cognitive, emotional, and/or behavioral) to 77 critical incidents were examined. By applying critical incident technique (CIT), five reaction themes were identified that had generated travel-behavior change: firm restrictions, unpredictability, unfair treatment, complicated trips, and earlier adverse experiences. To improve older travelers’ access to public transport, key findings were: (a) service must be designed so as to strengthen the feeling of being in control throughout the journey; (b) extended personal service would increase predictability in the travel chain and decrease travel complexity; consequently, (c) when designing new services and making effective accessibility interventions, policy makers should consider and utilize underlying psychological factors that could direct traveler behavior.