Spatio-temporal travel characteristics of the elderly in an ageing society

Abstract

Hong Kong’s population is ageing at an unprecedented and considerable rate, predominantly due to sustained low fertility and mortality rates. In 2013, the proportion of people aged 60 years or above was the second highest in Asia, exceeded only by that in Japan. Given that Hong Kong is a high-density, transit-oriented city, the predicted rapid growth of its elderly population is expected to significantly affect the existing public transport systems. To provide suitable policy recommendations that cater to the travel needs of an ageing society, we must investigate and understand the travel behavior and preferences of Hong Kong’s elderly citizens. In this study, we extracted the household interview survey data from the 2011 Travel Characteristics Survey to identify the travel patterns of the elderly and compare them with other age cohorts and among subgroups of the elderly population. We visualize and uncover the spatio-temporal travel characteristics of the elderly, and offer policy insights that promote age-friendly public transport systems. We believe that the findings and discussions herein will prove useful in future studies aiming to establish effective and appropriate public transport policy measures to improve elderly mobility.