Older Canadians are struggling to access transportation that meets their needs. Studies show that only 6% of aging Canadians use public transit as their main mode of transportation due to barriers such as accessibility and mobility.
When older people are not able to get around easily, their overall health and quality of life suffers. We must act to create transportation solutions that will help them to live full and connected lives.
37% of seniors experience social isolation due to the inability to access a ride
– FastTrack Canada
Can Move ensures that aging Canadians and the organizations that support them are part of the inclusive transportation discussion. By uniting community stakeholders and connecting with government leaders, experts in transportation, academics studying aging, and concerned older citizens, HelpAge Canada is enabling the sharing of ideas and knowledge to take action on creating better transportation options for older adults.
Canada’s first ever conference on seniors’ transportation, The F.A.S.T Track Innovation Summit, was held virtually on May 12th 2022.
58% of remote communities see Indigenous populations facing disproportionate and distinctive transportation challenges for older adults
– FastTrack Canada
Taking action on inclusion
Recognizing community innovation in transportation
To shine light on the work being done by organizations on the frontlines of the inclusive transportation frontier, HelpAge Canada is proud to support the recipients of the six awards remitted in 2022.
SCALE Awards
Innovative solutions that are already in place and making an impact on seniors’ transportation
Granisle Transportation Service
A community shuttle bus that provides older people in the very remote village of Granisle, BC, with transportation to shopping, services, and medical care over 100km away. The shuttle provided over 1100 trips in 2021, and was also used to deliver over 1400 hot meals and complete over 300 grocery and prescription deliveries.
York Region Transit’s Mobility On-Request 65+
Recognizing that many older community members were not comfortable walking to bus stops and riding large conventional buses, York Region Transit began offering an on-demand service for people 65 and older, leveraging their fleet of smaller para-transit buses. This service provides short trips that allow older people to safely and comfortably go out to get groceries and pick up prescriptions.
Sou’West Nova Transit Association’s Beyond Point-A to Point-B
The Sou’West Nova Transit Association is doing more than getting people from point A to point B! They have created a province-wide transportation dispatch system through partnerships with 19 transportation providers and Seniors Safety Services, utilizing volunteer drivers, fleet cars, an accessible minivan, and an accessible van.
TEST Awards
Innovative ideas to improve seniors’ transportation that have not yet been implemented.
South Vancouver Neighbourhood House and Mount Pleasant Neighbourhood House CAST combined transportation program.
CAST is an innovative idea to combine the South Vancouver Neighbourhood House (SVNH) and Mount Pleasant Neighbourhood House (NPNH). This would allow both organizations to leverage shared resources and address the challenge of volunteer acquisition.
Our Greenway Conservancy & Toronto Council on Aging Seniors e-trike & e-rickshaw program
Our Greenway Conservancy and the Toronto Council on Aging proposed a project that will fill the gap in transportation infrastructure by connecting older Torontonians to a free electric bicycle and electric rickshaw service. With a successful pilot completed in northwestern Toronto, they hope this solution will benefit both older people and the environment.
ASK Friendship Society Affordable Bus Rental Program
ASK Friendship Society’s Affordable Bus Rental Program would facilitate bus rentals between organizations and businesses who own wheelchair-accessible buses to seniors’ services organizations who do not have an accessible vehicle of their own. This service would allow existing resources to be leveraged, providing both a source of revenue to bus owners, and an affordable, accessible transportation option to organizations serving older people.
“Better at Home benefitted from F.A.S.T Track to support our clients’ travel for medical services, grocery, and prescription pickup to the neighboring communities. As a community that has limited services, HelpAge Canada’s support was instrumental in assisting our older residents’ health and wellness.”
“The reality is older Canadians are transportation-disadvantaged. Access to appropriate, reliable and affordable transportation is one of the biggest barriers older Canadians are currently facing – almost half (42%) of seniors who no longer drive report having unmet transportation needs within the past 6 months. This leads to missed medical appointments, bare refrigerator shelves, and an inability to maintain their important social networks within their community. Transportation is a social determinant of health. We must take action now, the lives of our older Canadians depend on it.”
Program impact
Organizations mapped the gaps in transportation for older Canadians
Awarded to six local innovative transportation solutions
Attendees at the first-ever National Seniors Transportation Innovation Summit
“Meeting the evolving transportation needs of older Canadians will not be solved simply through the provision of more public transportation services, especially when less than 10% of older Canadians currently choose to use it.
More popular, accessible, and dignified transportation strategies for both urban and rural older adults is integral to supporting older adults to maintain their independence in their communities.”
Benefits for partners
Whether you’re a municipality, community group, transportation professional or organization looking to improve transportation for older people, Can Move helps you shape the future of transportation for Canada’s aging population.
Can Move benefits organizations by:
- Harnessing the collaboration of national thought-leaders, experts in aging and transportation
- Launching your transformative ideas on how to create inclusive transportation that responds to the needs of older people in your community
Learn more about inclusive transportation and the F.A.S.T Track initiative.
Watch a recorded version of The Fast Track Innovation Summit here.
This program is made possible by the support of HelpAge Canada donors and our program delivery partners
Support Us
We appreciate the support of our generous donors in helping us create a world in which all older persons lead secure, healthy, active and dignified lives.