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To drive or to use the bus? An exploratory study of older people in Malta

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  • Mifsud, Deborah
  • Attard, Maria
  • Ison, Stephen

Abstract

Older adults are becoming a larger portion of the world's population, and as a result, more attention is being given to their mobility and travel behaviour. Such studies are however lacking in certain contexts like in Malta, an island state in the Mediterranean Sea. Malta is facing a concurrent high population density, high motorisation rate and an ageing population. Nevertheless, older people's mobility is not adequately considered in transport policy. The aim of this paper is to have an exploratory understanding of mode choice in later life in Malta, and understand the key determinants that affect older people's decision to drive or to use the bus. Using descriptive statistics and two regression models, this paper shows how in Malta older males drive significantly more than females, and the latter use more public transport. As age increases, the percentage of drivers declines for both genders. On the other hand, whilst for females public transport use also declined with age, the pattern of usage amongst males fluctuated. The data also showed that public transport was mostly used by non-driving older people who could potentially be captive bus users. The determinants that predicted whether older people drove or not were (i) gender, (ii) age, (iii) their occupation status, and (iv) the presence of an assistive device. The significant predictors for older people's public transport use were (i) the number of cars available in the household, (ii) age, (iii) the district where they lived, (iv) their occupation status, (v) their participation in social activities and (vi) the presence of personal assistance. The two models revealed different predictors for mode choice however there were also several similarities. The paper concludes with a discussion, highlighting the importance and relevance of the results to transport policy-makers. It also provides suggestions for further research to examine older people's mobility and travel behaviour.

Suggested Citation

  • Mifsud, Deborah & Attard, Maria & Ison, Stephen, 2017. "To drive or to use the bus? An exploratory study of older people in Malta," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 64(C), pages 23-32.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jotrge:v:64:y:2017:i:c:p:23-32
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jtrangeo.2017.08.002
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    2. Soltani, Ali & Pojani, Dorina & Askari, Sajad & Masoumi, Houshmand E., 2018. "Socio-demographic and built environment determinants of car use among older adults in Iran," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 68(C), pages 109-117.
    3. Kaniz Fatima & Sara Moridpour & Tayebeh Saghapour, 2021. "Spatial and Temporal Distribution of Elderly Public Transport Mode Preference," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(9), pages 1-15, April.
    4. Huiqian Sun & Peng Jing & Mengxuan Zhao & Yuexia Chen & Fengping Zhan & Yuji Shi, 2020. "Research on the Mode Choice Intention of the Elderly for Autonomous Vehicles Based on the Extended Ecological Model," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(24), pages 1-22, December.
    5. Graham, Anne & Kruse, Willy & Budd, Lucy & Kremarik, Frances & Ison, Stephen, 2023. "Ageing passenger perceptions of ground access journeys to airports: A survey of UK residents," Journal of Air Transport Management, Elsevier, vol. 107(C).
    6. Zhang, Linling & Long, Ruyin & Li, Wenbo & Wei, Jia, 2020. "Potential for reducing carbon emissions from urban traffic based on the carbon emission satisfaction: Case study in Shanghai," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 85(C).
    7. Long Chen & Chenglu Yang & Peng Jing & Qifen Zha & Xingyue Wang & Weichao Wang, 2023. "Are they willing to switch from non-driving to driving? An exploratory study among Chinese older people," Transportation, Springer, vol. 50(4), pages 1125-1163, August.
    8. Shaila Jamal & K. Bruce Newbold, 2020. "Factors Associated with Travel Behavior of Millennials and Older Adults: A Scoping Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(19), pages 1-27, October.
    9. Cheng, Long & Chen, Xuewu & Yang, Shuo & Cao, Zhan & De Vos, Jonas & Witlox, Frank, 2019. "Active travel for active ageing in China: The role of built environment," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 76(C), pages 142-152.
    10. Liu, Qiyang & Liu, Yang & Zhang, Chi & An, Zihao & Zhao, Pengjun, 2021. "Elderly mobility during the COVID-19 pandemic: A qualitative exploration in Kunming, China," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 96(C).

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