The Royal Institution for the Advancement of Learning/McGill University

Published purpose

This project will address gaps in our knowledge regarding Canadian seniors’ public transport needs and experiences by combining tested quantitative data, such as accessibility measurements at fine geographic and temporal scales, and qualitative methods, including surveys and in-depth guided interviews among different senior populations on public-transport experiences and perceptions. Researchers from the Transportation Research at McGill (TRAM) research lab will study senior transport needs and outcomes in a minimum of six cities and towns of varying sizes across Canada, including within rural Prairie regions where intercity bus service has disappeared. First, the project team will calculate measures of public transport accessibility—the ease of reaching desired destinations—to a range of senior-relevant opportunities or activities, such as health and wellness care facilities, safe spaces for outdoor recreation, religious institutions, community centres, and affordable wholesome food. As part of a second stage, the team will interview seniors in areas of high and low accessibility and from different socioeconomic backgrounds to refine our understanding of the relationship between public transport and key health and well-being outcomes among different populations of seniors.