About the research
In April 2006, nearly 11 million people living in England became eligible for a bus pass allowing free local travel during off-peak hours. The government scheme was designed to provide freedom and independence for those over 60 and/or with disabilities. But did it also offer a public health benefit?
The researchers investigated whether the scheme – at a cost of some £943 million per year – achieved its intent of increasing seniors’ use of public transport. They also set out to determine the policy’s public health impact by investigating the relationship between being eligible for the bus pass, use of public transport and obesity.
Using data from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA), they discovered that the policy was indeed associated with increased use of public transport. Older people who used public transport were less likely to be obese, as were those eligible for free local bus travel.
Following publication, the researchers discussed their results with policymakers at the Department for Transport, for whom the findings are valuable in future planning of concessionary bus travel policy.
Methodology
For each wave of ELSA data, the authors classified individuals into users and non-users of public transport. They used height, weight and waist circumference from waves two and four to calculate obesity. At waves three and four participants were classified as eligible or non-eligible for free local bus travel.
They then used logistic regression to predict the associations of a) eligibility for free local bus travel with use of public transport and b) use of public transport and eligibility for free local bus travel with obesity.
Publications
The research was published as Free bus passes, use of public transport and obesity among older people in England in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, September 2011.
This resulted in interest from members of the Parliamentary Select Committees for Health and Transport, as well as policymakers at the Department for Transport.
The research was also featured in international media including WebMD, NetDoctor, Nursing in Practice and Mature Times.