Background and Purpose: Public transit can facilitate mobility and social participation in the community. However, older adults with reduced mobility experience many obstacles to accessing public transit services, such as the bus.  Results from a recent survey suggested that training may improve how people (including older adults with reduced mobility), many access public transit. In reponse to this need, the Quebec City public transit system (RTC) created the Integrated Mobility Assistance Service (SAMI).  In partnership with the RTC, the objectives of this study are to: (1) explore older adults’ experiences and satisfaction with the SAMI and public transit use; and (2) assess the influence of the SAMI on older adults’ confidence for using public transit, life-space mobility, and satisfaction with transit use.

Relevance: SAMI can improve the knowledge and skills to use the bus. It will then help to improve the accessibility of public transport for elderly people with reduced mobility and thus promote their participation and social integration.

Methods

Design: A longitudinal multi-method design will be conducted using quantitative and qualitative methods.

Participants/Subjects: Ten older adults with reduced mobility from Quebec City (≥ 50 years old), who can move around with or without technical assistance will be recruited through community organizations and word-of-mouth. They must live in Quebec City and be able to speak French.

Procedures: Evaluations will be conducted before and after the training, then at 3 and 6 months after the training of confidence for using public transport (100-point Visual Analog Scale,) life-space mobility (Life Space Assessment), satisfaction with realization of public transit goals? (Canadian Occupational Performance Measure and the Travel Satisfaction Scale). Semi-structured qualitative interviews will be conducted immediately after the training and again at 3 and 6 months after the training to explore satisfaction with the SAMI and public transit use.

Analysis: Socio-demographic data will be summarized (mean, standard deviation, frequency). Differences between confidence, mobility, and satisfaction before and after SAMI (immediately, 3 months, and 6 months) will be explored using a non-parametric longitudinal analysis (p=5%) will be performed with SPSS. Qualitative interviews will be transcribed verbatim and coded line-by-line using NVivo. A deductive thematic analysis will be conducted guided by the Human Development Model - Disability Production Process.

Expected Results: The results will allow the program to be tailored to the specific transit needs of older adults with reduced mobility.

Keywords: Public transit, training, older adults, reduce mobility

Funding Source Acknowledgement: Krista Best, Marie-Eve Lamontage and François Routhier are research scholars of Quebec Health Research Funds (FRQS). Financial support for the project was provided by the Office des personnes handicapées du Québec (OPHQ), the Provincial Network for Research in Rehabilitation (REPAR), and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC).

Ethics approval: the study was approved by the research ethics committee of the Centre Universitaire de santé et services sociaux de la Capitale-Nationale under the number #2022-2287, RIS_.