Inclusive transportation for an aging society: Diagnosing multidimensional capability gaps and proposing tiered policy responses using the elderly mobility index

Based on the capability approach and social model of disability, this study develops an Elderly Mobility Index (EMI) to evaluate elderly mobility across four dimensions: individual capability, environmental accessibility, technological support, and social support. Using data from 782 elderly individuals in Zhejiang Province and employing entropy weighting, principal component analysis, and regression analysis, the study reveals significant urban-rural disparities. Rural elderly scored 10.30 points lower than urban elderly, with rural elderly women being the most disadvantaged group. A key finding is the “high weight-low performance” contradiction in the technology dimension, where technological support shows low practical performance despite high weighting. EMI demonstrates strong predictive validity through significant correlations with both travel frequency and travel satisfaction. However, the conversion from EMI to travel behavior remains unaffected by urban-rural differences, revealing a dual mechanism of EMI formation and activation. This mechanism operates as a transition mechanism that distinguishes capacity building from capacity utilization. It clarifies how incremental policy interventions move systems from latent capacity to effective mobility outcomes. This breaks through traditional linear “capacity-behavior” assumptions in elderly mobility research. The study proposes a three-layer adaptive governance framework that operationalizes the transition mechanism through EMI monitoring, policy calibration, and performance evaluation. This enables dynamic resource allocation between capacity-building and capacity-utilization interventions. Key policy recommendations follow two pathways: capacity-building interventions target formation deficits through urban-rural infrastructure equalization and education-income mechanisms, while capacity-utilization interventions address activation barriers through unified technology support. Specific measures include mandatory age-friendly certification and intergenerational mentorship programs. The framework offers cross-cultural adaptability while maintaining methodological consistency, promoting inclusive transportation for aging populations worldwide.