Travel Characteristics of Elderly Persons and Transition in Transport System in Jakarta

Jakarta, which is the capital of the Republic of Indonesia, is the largest city in the country with a population of some 8.8 million in 2005. Of the total, roughly 4.6% or about 405 thousand are reported to be over 60 years old. The authorities are exerting efforts to improve barrier free facilities in the public transport system in Jakarta, however, adequate facilities are still not available for elderly and disabled persons. The city has formulated eight routes for the bus rapid transit (BRT) system called “Transjakarta”. While all Transjakarta stops are equipped with barrier free facilities such as handrails, ramps and elevators, only a limited number of the disabled and the elderly use them. Effective barrier free planning based on travel patterns of the disabled and the elderly is therefore essential. Although planning is highly desirable, data on fundamental travel characteristics of the disabled and the elderly is not yet available and needs to be analyzed. In light of the substantial changes in Jakarta’s transport system during the second half of this decade, one significant transition is the above-mentioned Transjakarta and the other is the increase in the number of privately owned motorized vehicles particularly for motorcycles. The number of registered motorcycles almost doubled over the last 5 years while cars increased more than 25% and appears to still be in an increasing trend. It is anticipated that the impacts generated by these transitions will have an effect on the travel behaviour of the elderly and disabled. This paper summarizes the findings of household travel surveys in 2002 and 2008. The descriptive analyses for fundamental travel patterns of the elderly including trip rate, transport mode choice, car/motorcycle ownership and trip purposes utilizing a large scale household travel survey in 2002 which revealed the characteristics of the elderly in Jakarta. While travel for work is the key in trip generation even for elderly persons, the dominant position held by private modes of transport, including non-motorized transport, reflects the inaccessibility of the transportation system in Jakarta. The comparison of 2002 and 2008 surveys identify the significant changes in mode choice such as a surge in the share of motorcycles and utilization of the newly developed bus rapid transit (BRT) system by elderly persons.