washington (ap) | By 2030, the number of Americans who are age 65 or older will double to more than 70 million.
“As a larger percentage of Americans grow older and live longer, we need to work fast to find new ways to provide essential transportation choices,” said William Millar, president of the American Public Transportation Association. “Public transportation will be called upon to do more, and we will be prepared.”
However, a study last year by the Surface Transportation Policy Project, AARP and APTA found that the United States is ill-prepared to provide adequate transportation choices for a rapidly aging population of baby boomers.
The study found that more than half of all non-drivers age 65 and older stay home largely because transportation options are limited, particularly in rural and smaller communities.
More than 6,000 public transportation systems nationwide currently provide various forms of service for older riders, ranging from reduced fares and expanded use of low-floor vehicles to personalized travel training sessions for seniors and policies that allow drivers to deviate from fixed bus routes to better accommodate older riders.