As people age, their reflexes and decision-making skills slow down. For this reason, seniors may find it challenging to drive their vehicles to get to their preferred destination. Fortunately, public transportation is an easy, inexpensive, and environmentally friendly travel alternative for older adults. One just needs to navigate their way around crowded spaces while using public transportation. To ensure complete safety during transit, following certain public transport tips can be useful for the elderly.
1) Timing One’s Trips Wisely
Public buses and similar modes of transport tend to be crowded during certain phases of the day. These phases are known as peak hours. Seniors need to avoid taking public transportation during these peak hours, as it will leave them with limited standing room. Even if an older adult has something to hold on to while standing, traveling in such a scenario is unsafe. They may lose their balance if the vehicle makes sudden turns or hard stops.
One of the key bus tips for seniors involves boarding during the middle of the day when buses are not filled from end to end with daily commuters and teens who use them to get to and from school. During non-peak hours, elderly travelers can easily find seats and travel comfortably.
2) Keeping Fare Ready Before Boarding
One of the key public transport tips for seniors involves keeping the fare handy before stepping onto a public bus. Fumbling around in one’s pockets or purse after boarding a bus can leave senior travelers off-balance and ill-prepared for any driving maneuvers made during the journey. They may also accidentally drop cash, credit cards, personal identification, or similar items in their wallets.
Having at least one hand free and fare ready while taking public transportation helps seniors board quickly and avoid unnecessary delays. This makes it easy for elderly people to grab handrails and safely sit or stand while commuting in a public bus or train. It also prevents other travelers from seeing where money or valuables are kept.
3) Watching One’s Step While Boarding and Exiting
Public buses or local trains are among the most accessible transport options out there, but they are used by many people, especially during peak hours. While boarding or deboarding a bus, people tend to rush to get in or out quickly. Elderly travelers need to avoid doing so to ensure their safety while traveling.
When a bus, train, or subway car arrives, senior commuters must only approach the doors when the vehicle has halted completely. While boarding, they need to be aware of the gaps between curbs, platforms, and vehicle entrances and strictly use handrails to maintain balance. People using wheelchairs or walkers need to hold onto the rail if the vehicle starts moving suddenly.
4) Checking Schedules in Advance
While traveling alone, seniors are likely to experience fatigue frequently, especially when waiting long periods for buses, subway cars, or trains. Knowing the bus or train schedules helps elderly travelers reduce unnecessary wait times. One does not need to memorize the schedules – they can take a printout of train or bus timings for easy reference at home and make sure they know how long it will take them to get to the pickup location so they can plan and leave their homes accordingly.
5) Informing Drivers/Conductors of Special Requirements
A municipal bus driver/conductor’s job extends beyond simply getting passengers safely to and from their destinations. They are responsible for helping elderly people with special needs. The professional must make sure that both the traveler and their assistive device are secure before starting the ride. To ensure this, elderly travelers must first let the drivers know their requirements (access to specific seating or space to place the devices during transit) before the journey starts.
Travel authorities have made efforts to make public buses and trains senior-friendly public transportation modes. Knowing and using this knowledge helps elderly commuters use these transportation modes safely.
6) Preparing for Unexpected Situations
Alertness is important to ensure that elderly travelers remain safe while using public transport. One must always anticipate any mishaps that may happen during the journey and dedicate room or thought to take countermeasures to stay safe during such instances. One can wear protective gear or carry safety accessories to ensure a safe journey.
Apart from these measures, there are several other things elderly travelers must pay heed to and follow. Some such measures include hydrating before journeys, carrying essential objects during travel, using accessibility features available onboard public buses, cable cars, trains, and subway cars, being mindful of one’s balance during all times, wearing comfortable shoes and clothing while traveling, being aware of one’s surroundings, and knowing one’s legal options in case of an unforeseen incident. They should also carry some type of contact information and communication tools with them to contact their family, friends, or caregivers in the event of any unforeseen event.