Understanding bus use for older adults and those with disabilities in Essex

Across Essex, elderly and disabled people are using buses at much lower levels than before the pandemic, but there is not much research that identifies why this is and how we can reverse the trend.

Improving bus use for older people and those with disabilities is important for several key reasons:

• buses connect people to friends and family, if people are not using buses, there is a heightened risk of social isolation and challenges to mental health and wellbeing, and incresaed cressures on adult social care budgets as people become less mobile
• buses also help people access health and care services, if people are less mobile, there are significant budget implications for health and social care services to reach people at home
• buses connect people to high streets and retail centres, and lower bus patronage can have negative impacts on local economic development
• the funding transport providers receive from concessionary bus passes is vital in helping services retain commercial viability, so a drop in trips from these passengers risks the sustainability of routes across the network, impacting people across Essex.

Travel Essex via Essex County Council have commissioned Rocket Science and Integrated Transport Planning to conduct research with older people and those with disabilities to understand why bus use is lower and what could be done to improve it.

Please attend our planning workshop to help us ensure we reach the right people and ask the right questions so that we can make bus travel better for everyone across Essex. The workshop will

• get your thoughts about the best ways to engage people
• understand any insights you might have about potential barriers and opportunities to bus use that can be included in our survey.

Know what’s Happening Next — before everyone else does.

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