This document summarizes a presentation on preparing rural transport systems for an aging population. The presentation covered demographic trends showing populations are aging in both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. Research found that older adults often have health issues and are less wealthy, so depend on transportation for well-being and participation. The study reviewed rural transportation policies and services, finding a need to better integrate public and community options. Recommendations included preparing policies for an aging society, increasing cross-sector partnerships, and involving communities in local transportation planning.

1. Preparing for change - rural transport
and an ageing population
Dr. Roger O’Sullivan,
CARDI
30 January 2014

2. Structure of presentation
1. Introduction to CARDI
2. Demographic Context
3. Ageing: Health, Wealth and Well Being
4. Transport & ageing research
5. Selection of findings
6. Concluding Comments

3. The work of CARDI
• All-Ireland perspective
• Cross-discipline focus
• Promotes research to inform policy and
practice
• Research Translation
3

4. Demographic Ageing

5. Success of Public Health
• In 2012 there were 273,000 (15%) people
aged 65+ in NI (NISRA).
• By 2041 the number of people aged 65+ in NI
will reach almost half a million (496,000) ,
almost one quarter of the total population
(24.5%) (NISRA).
• Average life expectancy in NI is 76.3 years for
men and 81.3 years for women (NISRA).

6. Population pyramid
2014 20441984

7. Life expectancy at age 65 - NI

8. Demographic change
8
Source: NISRA

9. … and projected to 2056
9
Source: NISRA

10. Chances of living to 100
• Born 1852: 1 in 3800
• Born 1896: 1 in 310
• Born 2013: 1 in 3

11. Ageing in place sub-regional variations

12. Understanding ageing
• Health
• Wealth
• Well Being & Participation

13. Unhealthy life expectancy at 65 - NI
13
7.1 7.1 7.0
6.7
6.9
7.2
7.4 7.4
7.8
8.7 8.7
8.6 8.6 8.6
9.0
8.9
9.2
9.3
2000-02 2001-03 2002-04 2003-05 2004-06 2005-07 2006-08 2007-09 2008-10
Unhealthy life expectancy in NI at age 65 (years)
Male
Female
Source: ONS

14. Living longer but not always healthier lives
• People in NI aged 50+ are twice as likely to report being
disabled compared to ROI (Savva et al 2011).
• 18% of people aged over 50 in NI suffer from two or more
chronic conditions compared to 11% in ROI e.g. diabetes,
arthritis, asthma, heart disease (Savva et al 2011).
• 70% of people in NI aged 75+ report a longstanding illness
(Health Survey NI 2010 – 2011).
• Currently 19,000 people with dementia in NI and rise to
60,000 by 2051 – affects 1 in 3 over 80 (DHSSPS 2010).

15. Wealth

16. A story of two parts

17. Comparison of income of NI pensioner
couples

18. Wealth - The over 50s in the UK
• Hold 60% of the UK Savings
• Represent 80% of the UK’s
disposable wealth
• Responsible for 40% of
consumer demand
• Spend £200 billion per year
(Source: Oxford Institute
of Ageing)

19. Well Being &
Participation

20. If you want to reach 100, start making
friends now!
• “The Blue Zone - lessons for living longer from the people who have lived the longest” by Dan Buettner
(2008)
20

21. Rural social exclusion
Walsh et al. (2012) indicators of social
exclusion in rural Ireland:
• security, safety and crime
• income and financial resources
• social connections and social resources
• Services
• transport and mobility

22. Ageing in place

23. Public and community transport for older
people in rural Ireland – North & South
Methods employed:
• Literature review
• Policy review
• Interviews
• International case
studies

24. “Transport and mobility are an essential
aspect of everyday life - they keep people
connected and give them the ability to live
independently. There are fears that a
growing focus on strictly economic
arguments will lead to a reduction in
services in rural areas….” (Breen 2014).
Why this research:

25. Objectives of the research:
• To analyse policy on public transport and community transport,
North and South, with a focus on older people, to identify potential
strengths, weaknesses and opportunities for improving rural
transport.
• To review public transport and community transport in rural Ireland,
including interviews with key stakeholders, to determine what are
the current successes and challenges.
• To examine current data on rural transport across the island of
Ireland.
• To provide international examples of innovation in rural transport,
with a particular focus on cost-neutral or cost effective solutions.
• To develop policy recommendations to improve transport in rural
areas.

26. Overarching findings
• At a strategic level policy and service provision needs to prepare
for an ageing population
• At a local level public and community transport should recognise
the increasingly diverse needs of an ageing population in terms
of transport which may differ on a geographical basis
• Integration of public and community transport services can help
to develop efficient and cost-effective rural transport
• Data deficits in terms of transport need addressed eg detailed
information on older people’s reasons for travel and transport
patterns can help inform better policy and planning; total cost of
rural transport provision

27. Summary of NI rural transport links

28. Summary of ROI rural transport links

29. Selection of findings - transport
• As people age they are less likely to travel – but this
trend is very marked for people with disabilities in rural
areas in ROI (NDA, 2014)
• In ROI negative perception of public transport
increased as an individual’s geographic location
became more rural: over 70% of the rural population
reporting the local public transport system as poor
compared to fewer than 20% in Dublin (TILDA)
• The lack of suitable, accessible information is one of
the barriers that makes travel difficult for disabled
people and older people in NI (INTAC 2012) e.g. the
over-55s in NI are less likely to have broadband than
those in the rest of the UK (Ofcom,2012).

30. Will we drive our way out of this?
• A key challenge in providing and planning
rural transport is that both in ROI and NI the
majority of journeys are made by private car.
• While this does not pose a problem for people
who can and want to continue to drive as they
age , it is a challenge for those who do not
drive or can no longer drive or have no access
to a lift from family or friends.
• Concealed need, diminished or used services

31. Gender and Mobility: Driving licences

32. Learning from international innovation
– ITN America
• Not for profit that provides door-to-door transport for
thousands of older people across the US
• System is built around credits:
– Older people can earn and store up in order to provide for their
own future transport needs.
– Earned by volunteering, trading in your cars, gift certificates
• Older people can earn the transport that they require when
they are no longer driving through volunteering. It provides
a door to door service that runs 24 hours a day, 7 days a
week.
• Additional funding comes from corporate sponsorship, and
assistance is available for older people with low incomes.

33. Learning from international innovation
– Transport for NSW
• Transport for NSW is an integrated transport authority in
New South Wales, Australia
• All decision making for planning and policy is centralised
• Organisation has control over all forms of transport
• Formed specifically to challenge the “silo mentality” (where
government departments and agencies were not co-
operating fully)
• Community Transport programme targets people whose
access to mainstream transport services is limited by
physical, social or geographical factors
– Centrally co-ordinated by Transport for NSW but local
providers operate the services

34. Innovation in policy – lessons for
transport
• Policy decisions need to address the
causes of problems in society, as
opposed to addressing symptoms of a
wider problem and measures are
sustainable over the longer term, both
socially and financially

35. Recommendations: key messages
• Greater integration of existing services eg
health transport, home-to-school transport , community transport
• Greater cross sectorial partnerships eg
government , business and voluntary &
community sector
• Increase community and passenger
involvement in planning of local services

36. Concluding Comments
• We need to recognise the diversity of older
people’s transport requirements today and in the
future
• “NI as an age friendly region” – what does this
mean to transport provision
• Decreasing budgets mean better use of current
resources – not easy!
• Innovation in policy and learning from
international practice are vital
– But: changes must be sustainable in long-term

37. Follow-up
To download the full report and
for more information on CARDI
or on ageing research generally
see www.cardi.ie
Thank you for your time and interest