Transport and Ageing: An Examination into Digitally Enabled Flexible Public Transport Services and the Opportunities and Barriers for Older Citizens

The focus of this research project is to examine the role and value of new modes of digitally enabled Flexible Public Transport Services (here after FTS) within the context of a deregulated transport market in Oxford, UK. Specifically, this PhD will examine the new Demand Responsive Transport service - PickmeUp - operated by Oxford Bus Company and in relation to the existing fixed route bus services in deprived areas of Oxford with low-car occupancy. Special attention will be given to the impact and roles of this new type of service and how it will impact the lives of vulnerable citizens, such as the elderly. The project will also aim to understand the impact of this service on policy and community transport services from a local authority perspective; for example, in relation to evidence that could determine whether such new services should be eligible or supported with funds for concessionary travel. The project will be divided into three sequential phases: 1) Using participatory methodology - Delphi method - to determine what matters to people in their daily lives in relation to transport and mobility. The aim of which is to first determine a set of people-orientated indicators to examine the DRT service in phase 2, but also to compare this localised survey with existing National Household Transport surveys. 2. Phase 2 will involve a spatial and temporal analysis of 1 year's worth of DRT ridership in Oxford. Using the findings from phase 1 and 2, the final phase of the PhD aims to synthesise the first two phases and assess how such learnings can be used to support specific Community Transport policy decisions (Section 19/22), as well as how this service fits in to the wider debate around transport and ageing. This PhD research adopts a mixed methods approach: qualitative public and private sector engagement activities and desk-based review of literature, as well as quantitative approaches for analysis of anonymised bus ridership and aggregated transport data.

Main Research Questions:

What matters to older citizens in their daily lives in relation to transport and mobility in their neighbourhood?
How does the existing fixed routed public transport service in Oxford meet the needs of older/vulnerable citizens?
How does the new Flexible Public Transport Service in Oxford meet the unfulfilled needs of older/vulnerable citizens?


Novel Methods/Approaches:

1. a) A novel approach using the Delphi technique to develop transport/mobility indicators based on what people value in their daily lives, b) a localised transport study - new data
2. New DRT ridership dataset - exclusive assess from Oxford Bus Company which will add to knowledge of previous studies that use synthetic data.
3. Real world DRT data (anonymised) to compare with existing public transport (fixed route); ridership, destinations, time of travel, cost of travel reimbursement cost of concessionary travel)


Alignment with EPSRC:

Within the EPSRC's themes of the 'built environment' and 'infrastructure and urban systems', this PhD will undertake research under the following strategic themes: the built environment and public health, by focusing on design for wellbeing and inclusivity. Infrastructure and urban systems - improving the performance, capacity and connectivity of transport networks; a holistic view of cities and their systems, including dependencies between them and critical infrastructure. This research can also be strongly linked to the themes of Healthcare technologies, and Digital Economy (sub-themes of 'value creation and capture', 'data, information and knowledge').