Environment Audit CommitteeWritten evidence submitted by Age UK
The Environmental Audit Committee has launched an inquiry into “Transport and the accessibility of public services”. This inquiry will reflect on the progress that has been made to improve accessibility since the Social Exclusion Unit’s 2003 report “Making the Connections”, which detailed the link between transport and social exclusion. The Committee is particularly interested in the implications of Government funding cuts and increases in public transport fares. They want to understand whether this agenda has been sidelined and if so the future role of Government policy.
While the inquiry rightly focuses on access to vital public services, it should not be forgotten that many private services are also essential, particularly banks and supermarkets. Age UK has therefore included evidence that refers to both public and private essential services in this response.
Key Points and Recommendations
The government needs to make social isolation a priority in public transport policy and funding, alongside their priorities of economic growth and cutting carbon emissions. They should encourage greater co-operation and co-ordination across public, private and community transport providers.
The national bus concession must remain free and universal.
All local transport authorities must make the most of accessibility planning in transport planning, particularly when spending decisions are being made. They have to be able to react to the needs and views of older people and promote co-operation between all potential transport partners, including community transport and active travel.
The health sector should consider transport when they are planning services. Accessibility planning should be part of the Joint Strategic Needs Assessment.
National government should assess the implementation of accessibility planning and set a standard to ensure local authorities are meeting their transport duties.
The relationship between transport and poverty needs to be better understood and acted upon by all levels of government.
The internet has an important part to play in providing a range of services but it should be seen as complementary and not as a way of reducing investment in our well established transport infrastructure.
How are the Government’s current transport policies affecting the accessibility of public services?
The government’s transport strategy prioritises economic growth and cutting carbon emissions.1 Alongside these aims they need to make reducing social isolation a priority in public transport policy and funding. This means making transport planning decisions that take into account the accessibility of essential services for vulnerable people, including older people.
There are 1.2 million people over 50 who are severely excluded.2 Often referred to in terms of being cut off from the mainstream of society, the term recognises disadvantage is not just about being poor; but also being unable to access things in life that most of society takes for granted. This includes having a properly equipped, well maintained home; close friends and regular company; stimulating activity; and easy access to important services such as GPs, shops and post offices.
Being able to get out and about is what makes many of these activities possible. Transport is vital to leading an active and independent life and for those without access to a car reliable public transport is essential.
Older people and younger people on average make proportionately more trips by public transport (bus, coach and rail) than other age groups. For older people this coincides with a decline in the number of people holding a car driving licence with age. They are therefore disproportionately affected by the Government’s public transport policy.
Buses are the most popular form of public transport for older people and they are used frequently. Thirty-nine per cent of people over 60 take a bus at least once a week.3 The Government’s commitment to the national bus concession in primary legislation and recently in Parliament is an important cornerstone to accessibility of public services for older people.
Free bus travel has been a success and remains very popular with older people. In 2009, 76% of people aged over 60 in Great Britain had received or registered for a concessionary pass.4 Age UK research found that the concession allows older people to reach key services without having to make difficult financial decisions, as highlighted in the quotes from older people in Example 1. Notably, ownership and use of the concessionary bus pass is highest for those on the lowest income.5
Example 1: Comments from Age UK’s report Getting out and about: keeping buses free and reliable:
Male, 61
“I couldn’t afford to travel by bus every day before. I would have bought one ticket for one day and be done with it, but now I find myself just using it whenever. Now I am not concerned about getting value for money.”
Male, 77
“Now I have free bus travel, I don’t need a car. I gave it up … and all the costs and worries of it breaking down and all that.”
However, for those people that rely on public transport it can still be more difficult to access key services if you do not have transport readily available. A significant percentage of people perceive difficulties getting to amenities without a car: 44% said they had difficulty getting to the doctor/hospital; 23% getting to the corner shop/supermarket; and 18% getting to the post office.6 In addition, the availability of public transport differs significantly between communities. In urban areas the percentage of people who live within 13 minutes of a regular (hourly) bus is around 95%, in rural areas it is 50%.7 These figures do not reveal whether the regular services available take people to where they want to go.
The availability of bus services has been affected by public spending cuts, which is likely to widen the accessibility gap in some communities. Research from the Campaign for Better Transport shows that 70% of local authorities made cuts to bus provision in 2011–12 and they are concerned about further cuts in the future.8 Some local authorities have also argued they have not been given sufficient funds from national government to reimburse bus operators for concessionary fares. Bus operators will also see the Bus Service Operators Grant reduced by 20% from 2012–13. When taken together, all these changes could have an impact on the sustainable provision of bus services.
Age UK contacted older people to hear their experience of changes to bus provision in their local area. The comments in Example 2 show the stark implications that losing public transport can have on older people’s lives, with people seriously considering cutting down on their contribution to the community or even moving home.
Public transport should not be changed without giving local people a chance to have their say and without alternatives being put in place. Age UK would like to see the Government encouraging local authorities to take their duties to improve the bus network seriously, in particular their duty to consider the transport needs of older people when developing policy and practice.
In many places the bus pass has additional benefits or alternatives. This is at the discretion of the local authority. The generosity of these alternatives varies across England; from free all day travel on all public transport in London; accepting the concession on community transport, or a simple extension of the bus concession start time to 9am in other local authority areas. These additional benefits are particularly important if bus travel is not available, accessible or is needed outside of peak hours, such as for hospital appointments. Where private travel is not possible and the public transport system does not fully serve the needs of older people, the Government should encourage local authorities to provide flexible alternatives such as financial support towards community transport or taxis.
At European level, there are now EU regulations establishing passenger rights across all transport modes, with specific requirements to meet the needs of passengers with reduced mobility. The proposed European Accessibility Act will also be an opportunity to improve accessibility of transport and other public services.
The complex governance, regulations and delivery arrangements for public transport means it can be difficult to implement accessibility improvements. Responsibility crosses national and local government, the private and community sector, and overarching EU regulations also apply. The government’s transport policies need to incentivise greater co-operation and co-ordination across public, private and community transport providers to improve public transport for older people. This will also mean listening and acting on the views of people in later life themselves.
Example 2: Older people’s experiences shared by older people’s forums and local Age UK’s
Female, 77 years old.
Bus routes 9a, 9 and 13 are being stopped. Bus changes are making individual depressed as she will be forced to move house. She will no longer be able to live in her current home as she will have a problem with getting to her doctor’s.
Female, 76 years old.
Removal of buses 9, 9a, 13 mean taxis are the only option now. She fears she will become isolated and is uncertain how shopping is going to get done. Social life will be affected and she will have to stop her volunteer work at her church.
Female, 74 years old
Mrs E has terminal bowel cancer and her husband has heart problems. Currently they are able to drive to get about, but due to their health problems they don’t think they will be able to do this for much longer. Now that the local bus has been discontinued they have no alternative means of transport. Due to the risk that they will soon become isolated in their home they have to look at warden supported accommodation for the future.
Female, 87 years old
The bus that served the Hornby Court Area has now been stopped. The positioning of the bus stop is no good, it is up a hill and too far to walk, especially for those with breathing difficulties. The paving is incredibly uneven and dangerous also. Taxis are coming one after another and there is no consistency in the prices. The cost of paying for the taxis is in effect doubling the cost of the shop.
Wife, 75 and husband, 77
Bus service has been reduced to weekdays, one a day before 7am and there are no buses to the doctor in the next village. She cannot drive but her husband can. However, he suffers from bouts of illness that mean he cannot drive. Also, she feels being able to get on the bus gave her some freedom, she doesn’t want to rely on him, he has his own life. “I used to toddle off on the bus, now the onus is on him”.
Are other policies (such as planning, education, health, welfare and work etc) adversely affecting the accessibility of public services and the environment?
Transport should not be seen in isolation from other policy decisions as something which can be slotted in after other decisions have been made. Age UK has received a number of responses from local Age UKs and older people’s forums (see Example 3) that show how decisions about public service provision, in particular healthcare, have not taken account of the limited transport options for some older people. Accessibility is necessary not only for patients, but also for carers and family that are all an important part of recuperation.
More needs to be done to work across sector boundaries and see accessibility as an integral part of all service provision. It should not be assumed that transport providers will automatically address these needs and fill new gaps, for instance when a health care unit is centralised or relocated.
There are opportunities in existing processes to ensure appropriate transport is provided for these essential services. In particular the health sector should incorporate accessibility planning as part of the Joint Strategic Needs Assessment. Health and Wellbeing boards should also take accessibility into consideration as part of their strategic planning.
The National Planning Policy Framework and Local Economic Partnerships will also have an impact on transport planning and location of services at a local and sub-regional level. Again the emphasis in national policy is on economic growth and more needs to be done to make sure accessibility and the implications of social isolation have priority in the current system.
As previously mentioned, the forthcoming European Accessibility Act should present opportunities to improve the accessibility of public services. AGE Platform Europe are also developing a strategy to promote age-friendly environments across the EU, including through a proposed Covenant of Mayors. Age UK hopes that local and national authorities throughout the UK will engage positively with these processes.
Example 3: Older people’s experiences shared by older people’s forums and local Age UK’s.
“I live in a village in a rural area with very limited public transport, ie a once a week bus... However the ‘local’ hospital is over 30 miles away and there is no public transport there. The only way to get to outpatient appointments or to visit someone in hospital is to drive or be driven. As you can imagine, that can be very difficult at times, eg for an older couple one of whom is in hospital… We depend on our friends and neighbours for lifts and a round trip to the hospital takes half a day, so it is a lot to ask of people. A taxi, as you can imagine, would be prohibitively expensive.”
“The NHS are progressively concentrating specialists into ‘Regional Centres of Excellence’ therefore by definition this means that for many, like Tendring residents—travel is ‘challenging’ to some of these. Public transport is simply NOT a viable option over the long distances especially when seriously ill. Very challenging for Outpatient appointments.”
“An elderly lady in a wheelchair wanted to visit her son, being treated at Preston Hospital, three times a week. Not eligible to use Patient Transport, as she wasn’t the patient. Unable to use public transport. No support available from Community Cars. Return trip by taxi costs £70.”
“Older man living in Cockerham had a stroke and was referred for physio treatment at Salt Ayre Active Health Team. Unable to use public transport and not eligible for PatientTransport. Return trip by taxi costs £50.”
Is the Government’s current approach of requiring the accessibility of public services to be reflected in local transport plans working?
Accessibility planning should offer a way of looking at transport options in the round to find practical solutions to meet the accessibility needs of residents, particularly those groups at risk of social isolation. Where commercial bus services are not viable, this may mean local authority tendered services. It may also mean that other more flexible services provided by the council or the voluntary sector (eg Dial a ride) are more sustainable. Accessibility planning should give local authorities a process by which they are able to react to the needs and views of older people and promote co-operation between all potential transport partners, including community transport, walking and cycling.
This is particularly important at a time of public spending reductions. Local transport authority spending decisions on public transport should require an impact assessment that takes into account older people and social isolation. The responses Age UK gathered from older people (see Examples 1–3 above) reinforce our belief that bus services should not be changed without giving local people a chance to have their say and without alternatives being put in place.
It is unclear whether accessibility planning has been implemented consistently or effectively across all local authorities. National government should assess progress to date and set a standard to ensure local authorities are meeting their transport duties.
Would a measure of the transport accessibility of key public services, in a similar manner as “fuel poverty”, be useful for policy making and if so how should it be defined?
Transport and access to services should certainly be recognised as related to poverty. The term “transport poverty” needs to recognise both the cost of travel and the availability of services. For instance, the bus concession provides older people an affordable means of transport. However, this needs to be matched with appropriate services that are nearby, regular and go where people need them to go.9
For some older people public transport in itself presents accessibility problems. The Life Opportunities Survey10 found that 74% of adults with an impairment had difficulty with at least one mode of transport, which meant they did not use it at all or less then they liked. Long distance rail and coach were the modes most reported as difficult and the main barriers were cost and anxiety or lack of confidence. There were also 34% of adults with an impairment that cited buses as difficult to use. Other than cost, the main reason cited was difficulty getting on and off transport.
Finding a definition for transport poverty that balances both cost and access may be difficult, but the relationship between transport and poverty needs to be better understood. Age UK research has found that limited public transport is one of the factors that makes it much harder for older people on a low income to manage financially as well as practically.11 For instance, poor transport choices could mean that people are unable to shop around for the cheapest food that allows them to meet a small budget.
There are 1.7 million pensioners living in relative income-poverty, which represents 16% of a total of 11.5 million pensioners.12 It is also important to understand that pensioners are on a fixed income. This means their experience of poverty is unique because they have less means of escaping poverty through work than people of working age.13
The impact of broadband networks and the Internet in mitigating the need for transport infrastructure to assess public services
The internet has an important part to play to provide a range of services but it should be seen as complementary and not as a way of reducing investment in our well established transport infrastructure.
The Government’s “digital by default” agenda indicates the future direction of service delivery. This means that the primary way to access information and services will be online—whether it is claiming benefits (eg the new Universal Credit), renewing car tax or making a complaint. The Government Digital Service (GDS) has acknowledged that delivering services online will enable considerable cost savings to be realised, but have not yet said how much these will be or exactly where they will come from.
While this will provide an accessible service for some, the policy does not take account of the significant numbers of people, many of them older, who are unable, or unwilling to get online. Among those aged 65–74, only 55% have internet access at home and only a small minority, 26%, of those aged 75+ have the internet at home. This compare to around 85% of those aged 25–54 who do.14 For many older people telephone or face to face contact will still be necessary and provision will have to be made to ensure that vulnerable individuals are not further disadvantaged by the move to digital by default.
It follows that however efficient the delivery of services becomes through the internet, it will not mitigate the need for current transport infrastructures to be maintained. In any event, there are other reasons why transport, whether local or national, will continue to play an important part in both the social and business needs of citizens. As has been raised earlier in this response, bus networks can provide a lifeline to older people, allowing them to access shops, doctor’s surgeries, hospitals, friends and relatives. The risks of social exclusion, loneliness and isolation all increase with age and being able to access reliable and safe forms of transport are vital in maintaining health and wellbeing in later life.
28 August 2012
References
1 Creating Growth, Cutting Carbon. Department of Transport, 2012.
2 Out of Sight; Out of mind. Age Concern 2007
3 Getting out and about: Keeping bus services free and sustainable. Age UK 2012.
4 Office for National Statistics’ Omnibus Survey June 2008
5 Getting out and about: Keeping bus services free and sustainable. Age UK. 2012
6 Measuring Progress: Sustainable development indicators, Defra, 2010
7 National Travel Survey Department for Transport, 2009.
8 Save Our Buses campaign, Campaign for Better Transport, 2012
9 Getting out and about: Keeping bus services free and sustainable. Age UK 2012.
10 Life Opportunities Survey, Interim Results 2009–10 Office for National Statistics, 2010
11 Living on a low income in later life. Age UK 2012
12 Households Below Average Income (HBAI) 1994–95 to 2010–11, DWP, 2012
13 The implications of government policy for future levels of pensioner poverty, PPI, 2012
14 Communications Market Report, Ofcom, 2011