In the driving seat: psychosocial benefits from private motor vehicle transport compared to public transport

Ellaway, Anne; MacIntyre, Sally; Hiscock, Rosemary; Kearns, Ade

doi:10.1016/s1369-8478(03)00027-5

Cited by 194 publications

(145 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…The car is linked to identity, self-esteem, autonomy, and prestige (Ellaway et al 2003;Guiver 2007;Steg 2005). For older people in particular, driving is linked to personal identity and is associated with masculinity, youthfulness, status and power and it can be seen as a way of 'warding off old age' (Eisenhandler 1990;Siren and Hakamies-Blomqvist 2005).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Examining the process of driving cessation in later life

2012

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Driving cessation for many older people is associated with a poorer quality of life and can lead to health problems such as depression. This paper aims to reveal the process of giving-up driving, examining in particular triggers for giving-up driving, how information on alternative modes of transport is sought and how new transport and travel behaviour is integrated into older people's lives. It examines the challenges faced and how these are overcome and what impact the process has on self-reported quality of life, as articulated by the participants themselves. To this end, twenty-one individuals from three locations in the United Kingdom (UK) were followed over a period of 10 months, through five waves of data collection. Each participant took part in three interviews, a focus group and completed a diary of travel behaviour. Findings suggest that although a similar pattern was found between the trigger and life post-car, not all older people go through the stages of giving-up driving in the same way. Instead, a range of responses are seen, from contemplation of gradually reducing driving, through to stopping abruptly, with the route taken having consequences for the eventual outcome for any individual. Triggers for contemplating driving cessation could be varied and often involved health and social factors. Importantly, people who engaged in pre-planning reported a relatively higher quality of life beyond the car, whilst for those who were more reactive and engaged in little or no pre-planning a poorer quality of life resulted. In addition (and in conjunction with planning), other factors, such as flexibility in travel destinations, the role of family and friends, and wider support networks are also seen as important. With such evidence of the importance of preplanning it is suggested that more could be done to support giving-up driving and encouraging contemplation at a younger age to mitigate the negative effects experienced by some.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Examining the process of driving cessation in later life

2012

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“…Currently, such benefits are not always provided by public transport access. Bus travel in particular is often positioned as a stigmatised 'other' mode (Ellaway et al, 2003), primarily for use by those with few other options (Root et al, 1996, p. 32).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Importantly for the present analysis, it is a concept that emphasises the ways that people interpret their own circumstances or social contexts in ways that relate to health (Airey, 2003;Cattell et al, 2008). As Hiscock, Ellaway and colleagues have argued (Ellaway et al, 2003;Hiscock et al, 2002), if policies to wean people off car use are to succeed, the social and cultural associations of public transport need to be addressed. Reducing transport exclusion, and its damaging health effects, entails more than just increasing the provision of or access to transport.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Entitlement to concessionary public transport and wellbeing: A qualitative study of young people and older citizens in London, UK

Jones¹,

Goodman²,

Roberts³

et al. 2013

Social Science & Medicine

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Access to transport is an important determinant of health, and concessionary fares for public transport are one way to reduce the 'transport exclusion' that can limit access. This paper draws on qualitative data from two groups typically at risk of transport exclusion: young people (12-18 years of age, n=118) and older citizens (60+ years of age, n=46). The data were collected in London, UK, where young people and older citizens are currently entitled to concessionary bus travel. We focus on how this entitlement is understood and enacted, and how different sources of entitlement mediate the relationship between transport and wellbeing. Both groups felt that their formal entitlement to travel for free reflected their social worth and was, particularly for older citizens, relatively unproblematic. The provision of a concessionary transport entitlement also helped to combat feelings of social exclusion by enhancing recipients' sense of belonging to the city and to a 'community'. However, informal entitlements to particular spaces on the bus reflected less valued social attributes such as need or frailty. Thus in the course of travelling by bus the enactment of entitlements to space and seats entailed the negotiation of social differences and personal vulnerabilities, and this carried with it potential threats to wellbeing. We conclude that the process, as well as the substance, of entitlement can mediate wellbeing; and that where the basis for providing a given entitlement is widely understood and accepted, the risks to wellbeing associated with enacting that entitlement will be reduced. Key words UK; Entitlement; Public transport; Young people; Older citizens; Belonging; Social exclusion; Wellbeing Research Highlights Young people (12-18 year-olds) and older people (over-60s) receive free bus travel in London, UK.

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“…In a transport system in which bus travel is in general more available and more reliable than in other parts of the country, it carries little of the stigma attached to bus travel in other parts of the UK, where bus use is disproportionately a mode used by the young, older citizens and poorer households. 110,111 In summary, a range of policies contributed to the reduction in car travel by young people in London in term-time weekdays, and to the normalisation of bus travel as a non-stigmatised alternative to driving.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It has been suggested that a key element of reducing car dependence will be to improve perceptions of public transport such that it is no longer seen as low status compared with car travel. 111,182 A small social science literature now addresses the ways in which transport mode choices can be interpreted as social practice, in that they reflect not just individual decisions (based on, say, barriers and facilitators), but are embedded in cultural and material fields. [185][186][187] There has been less research on how these change.…”

Section: Transport As Social Practicementioning

confidence: 99%

On the buses: a mixed-method evaluation of the impact of free bus travel for young people on the public health

Green

Steinbach

Jones

et al. 2014

Public Health Research

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BackgroundIn September 2005 London introduced a policy granting young people aged < 17 years access to free bus and tram travel. A year later this policy was extended to people aged < 18 years in education, work or training. This intervention was part of a broader environmental strategy in London to reduce private car use, but its primary aim was to decrease ‘transport exclusion’, and ensure that access to goods, services, education and training opportunities were not denied to some young people because of transport poverty. However, there were also likely to be positive and negative health implications, which were difficult to assess in the absence of a robust evidence base on the impact of transport policies on health and well-being.ObjectivesTo evaluate the impact of free bus travel for young people in London on the public health. Specifically, to provide empirical evidence for the impact of this ‘natural experiment’ on health outcomes and behaviours (e.g. injuries, active travel) for young people; explore the effects on the determinants of health; identify the effects on older citizens of increased access to bus travel for young people and to identify whether or not the intervention represented value for money.DesignQuasi-experimental design, using secondary analysis of routine data, primary qualitative data and literature reviews.SettingLondon, UK.ParticipantsYoung people aged 12–17 years and older citizens aged ≥ 60 years.InterventionThe introduction of free bus travel for those aged < 17 years living in London in 2005, extended to those aged < 18 years in 2006.Main outcome measuresQuantitative: number of journeys to school or work; frequency and distance of active travel (i.e. walking and/or cycling), bus travel, car travel; incidence of road traffic injuries and assaults and socioeconomic gradients in travel patterns. Qualitative: how free bus travel affected young people and older citizens’ travel and well-being.MethodsQuantitative component: change-on-change analysis comparing pre–post change in the target age group (12–17 years) against that seen in ‘non-exposed’ groups [for travel mode, road traffic injury (RTI) and assaults]. Qualitative component: interviews analysed using both deductive and inductive methods. Economic evaluation: cost–benefit analysis (CBA).Data sourcesLondon Area Transport Survey (LATS) and London Travel Demand Survey (LTDS) (travel mode); STATS19 Road Accident data set (RTI); Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) (assaults); interviews with young people and older citizens; and cost data from providers and literature reviews.ResultsThe introduction of free bus travel for young people was associated with higher use of bus travel by adults and young people [31% increase, 95% confidence interval (CI) 19% to 42%; and 26% increase, 95% CI 13% to 41%, respectively], especially for short journeys, and lower car distances relative to adults (relative change 0.73, 95% CI 0.55 to 0.94); no significant overall reduction in ‘active travel’ [reduction in number of walking trips but no evidence of change in distance walked (relative change 0.99, 95% CI 0.92 to 1.07)]; significant reduction in cycling relative to adults (but from a very low base); a reduction in road traffic injuries for car occupants (relative change 0.89, 95% CI 0.84 to 0.95) and cyclists (relative change 0.60, 95% CI 0.55 to 0.66), but not pedestrians; an overall modest increase in journeys to work or school (relative change 1.09, 95% CI 1.06 to 1.14); equivocal evidence of impact on socioeconomic gradients in travel behaviour and no evidence of adverse impact on travel of older people aged > 60 years. An increase in assaults largely preceded the scheme. Qualitative data suggested that the scheme increased opportunities for independent travel, social inclusion, and a sense of belonging and that it ‘normalised’ bus travel. The monetised benefits of the scheme substantially outweighed the costs, providing what the Department for Transport (DfT) considers ‘high’ value for money.ConclusionThe free bus travel scheme for young people appears to have encouraged their greater use of bus transport for short trips without significant impact on their overall active travel. There was qualitative evidence for benefits on social determinants of health, such as normalisation of bus travel, greater social inclusion and opportunities for independent travel. In the context of a good bus service, universal free bus travel for young people appears to be a cost-effective contributor to social inclusion and, potentially, to increasing sustainable transport in the long term. Further research is needed on the effects of both active and other travel modes on the determinants of health; the factors that influence maintenance of travel mode change; travel as ‘social practice’; the impact of driving license changes on injury rates for young adults and the value of a statistical life for young people.FundingThe National Institute for Health Research Public Health Research programme.

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In the driving seat: psychosocial benefits from private motor vehicle transport compared to public transport

Cited by 194 publications

References 22 publications

Examining the process of driving cessation in later life

Examining the process of driving cessation in later life

Entitlement to concessionary public transport and wellbeing: A qualitative study of young people and older citizens in London, UK

On the buses: a mixed-method evaluation of the impact of free bus travel for young people on the public health

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