Assessing the Accessibility of Public Bus Terminals for the Older Adults
摘要
Accessible physical infrastructure is essential to an inclusive built environment. The World Health Organization projects that by 2030, 1 in 6 individuals will be 60 years of age or older, thus making it important to build inclusive and accessible infrastructure for older adults. For an urbanizing country like India, it is essential to focus on its urban infrastructure, such as bus terminals, which are accessed daily by a large number of the population, including older adults. This study aims to assess the accessibility of public bus terminals for older adults by taking Mangaluru and Udupi bus stations in Karnataka, India, as study areas. This study adopted mixed research methods; a thorough literature review was conducted to identify the accessibility requirements of older adults through published literature. Accessibility assessment of Mangaluru and Udupi bus terminals were conducted based on “Accessibility Guidelines for Bus Terminals and Bus Stops,” given by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MORTH), Government of India, and Interviews were conducted with older adults in both the bus terminals to understand their perceived accessibility. The study shows that neither bus terminal fully complies with accessibility guidelines. The interviews with the older adults highlight that understanding perceived accessibility is essential for identifying the lacunas in the assessment tools and suggesting older adults-centric design suggestions for bus terminals.