The concept of equity is essential in
transport because inequities lead to the formation of
transport-disadvantaged groups, such as the elderly, disabled
and low-income people. This paper focuses on the
elderly. Due to age-related circumstances, several elderly
persons have to surrender on driving, consequently
they become highly dependent on public transport.
Hence, accessible public transport is crucial to provide
them with the necessary mobility. This research considers
accessibility as a key indicator for transport
equity, since the latter primarily deals with the provision
of equal access to opportunities. The study focuses
on the case of Malta's public transport system, which
is composed of the bus service. The uniqueness of the
Maltese case is that transport policy is fragmented, and
is not focused on equity. This paper looks at three aspects
of accessibility related to road infrastructure, public
transport infrastructure, and the bus
fleet. The first
aspect refers to accessibility at the macro scale, for instance,
pavements may not be solely designed to cater
for the bus service, but they are an integrative part of it.
The meso scale refers to accessibility of infrastructure in
physical and cyber form, such as access to and on bus
stops and access to online travel information. The bus
fleet refers to the micro scale of accessibility, which may
include boarding and alighting the vehicle, and access on
the vehicle. The research approach involves a review of
existing Maltese public transport policy, with speci c focus
on whether accessibility for the elderly is considered
in the context of the afore-mentioned scales. It is envisaged
that the minimal or non-existent policy on accessibility
in public transport that focuses on elderly, makes
this population segment at a double disadvantage. The
research concludes with implications for policy related to public transport accessibility in a Maltese ageing society.peer-reviewe
