Victoria’s public transport for seniors facing upgrade

Victoria’s public transport system will be upgraded for the elderly after seniors said they had lost their independence through a lack of buses and trains, difficulty walking to stations, and problems with walking frames and crowded carriages.

The survey of 1,400 Victorian seniors found that public transport was the biggest problem facing the rapidly ageing population followed by housing, lack of information for people not internet savvy, and a shortage of affordable medical services.

The challenges were worst for the elderly living in the bush and the outer suburbs where the difficulty in getting to medical services often prevented people from maintaining their health. With one in four Victorians expected to be 60 or older by 2021 the survey found that the state’s aged care sector was already struggling to meet the needs of older residents.

Victoria’s Aged Care Minister Lisa Neville said the government would develop an education program for bus, train, and tram drivers to accelerate and brake smoothly to prevent seniors falling. The Minister would also work with hospital administrators to establish better links between the major Southern Cross Station in Melbourne and public hospitals with a special senior bus service being one possibility.