Travel Behaviour and Mobility Challenges of Disabled Elderly in Selected Cities of Ogun State, Nigeria

Abstract

The growth of disabled elderly with mobility constraints particularly in developing countries including Nigeria is becoming worrisome. The study examined travel behaviour and mobility challenges of disabled elderly in four cities in Ogun State, Nigeria. Purposive and convenient sampling methods were used to administer 400 questionnaire and data elicited were analyzed descriptively and inferentially. Findings revealed that most of respondents were male (69.5%), aged between 66-70 years (43.5%), and characterized with visual impairment (62%). On travel behaviour, majority generated about 10 trips a week (68.5%), through tricycle (45.5%) and basically for medical purposes (81%). Mobility challenges faced by respondents are mostly deplorable road (92%), inaccessibility to public transport (84%), poor public vehicle condition (76%) and longer-waiting time at bus stops (70%). These challenges have been blamed on weak policy framework and systematic withdrawal of governmentin public transport investment. Furthermore, binary logistics regression result shows that respondents travel behaviour is statistically influenced by their socioeconomic status (p<0.000). The Pseudo R-Square [Cox & Snell’s R-Square (36%) and Nagelkerke’s R (70%)] show that the model is relevant in predicting influence of vehicle ownership on travel behaviour. The study recommended among others, provision of quality public transport scheme with special features for disabled.

Keywords

• disabled
• elderly
• mobility
• travel behaviour
• cities