Small things, big people's livelihoods, and multiple efforts to continuously improve aging friendly transportation services
CCTV News: In today's increasingly developed transportation, despite the fast speed of subway travel and the high efficiency of taking a taxi to go out, ground buses that shuttle through the urban road network every day are still the main means of transportation for the elderly. According to relevant survey reports, 75% of elderly people have a daily travel distance of less than 5 kilometers, and 21% of elderly people have a daily activity range of no more than 1 kilometer when going out. Therefore, in routes and areas where elderly people gather, how to make convenient and affordable ground buses a "favorite" for the elderly, improve their travel convenience and comfort, has become a key focus of the continuous promotion of aging friendly reform in China's transportation sector.
The country has introduced a plan to continuously improve aging friendly transportation services
In fact, several years ago, China introduced various policies in the fields of elderly products, shopping, tourism and leisure, and continuously improved the level of aging friendly services. In the field of transportation, the country has not only promoted aging friendly transportation as a practical matter that is closer to people's livelihood for three consecutive years, but also issued specific work plans and put forward clear requirements to improve aging friendly and accessible transportation services.
This year, China has issued the "2023 Work Plan for Continuously Improving Age friendly and Accessible Transportation Services", which specifies the need to continuously promote the improvement of age friendly services, vehicle updates, and facility renovations in areas such as urban public buses and trams, urban rail transit, and taxis, and further consolidate the effectiveness of age friendly and accessible transportation services.
The plan proposes that by the end of this year, the country will create 1000 new public bus and tram lines in cities that respect and love the elderly, promote the updating and renovation of urban passenger transportation barrier free facilities and equipment, and accelerate the promotion and application of low floor and low entrance urban public bus and tram lines.
The reporter learned from the Ministry of Transport that since the beginning of this year, more than 5000 low floor and low entrance urban public buses and trams have been added and updated nationwide, more than 1500 urban public bus and tramway platforms have been renovated to adapt to aging, and more than 600 elderly friendly urban public bus and tramway lines have been built. As of now, the total number of public buses and trams in low floor and low entrance cities across the country has exceeded 120000.
Wang Xiuchun, Deputy Director of the Transportation Service Department of the Ministry of Transport: Guide various regions to accelerate the promotion of low floor and low entrance urban public buses and trams, actively create elderly friendly urban public bus and tramway routes, strengthen training for practitioners, and improve the level of elderly friendly travel services.
Wang Xiuchun stated that the construction of accessible transportation facilities requires further support from local governments. The Ministry of Transport will rely on demonstration activities such as national public transportation cities and green travel to guide various regions to increase efforts in the construction and renovation of transportation barrier free facilities and equipment.
In addition, the upcoming Urban Public Transport Regulations have clear provisions for vehicles with accessible facilities, and there are special provisions for providing convenience and discounts for special groups such as people with disabilities, the elderly, students, and soldiers to take public transportation. At present, the Regulations have been included in the category of preparatory regulations for the State Council's 2023 legislative plan.
Changsha, Hunan: Promoting Travel Adaptation to Aging with Careful Efforts
At present, many local transportation departments have made subtle changes, such as changing bus stop signs to "large font versions" and requiring crew members to "take a closer look, wait a little longer, and hold more hands". In short, promoting aging friendly travel is a meticulous task. Let's take a look at the situation in Changsha, Hunan.
In Changsha, Hunan, six bus routes recently completed the renovation work of the "Respect and Love the Elderly Special Line" and have been put into operation. Many elderly passengers have noticed the changes in buses.
The idea of establishing a dedicated line for respecting and loving the elderly was derived from big data analysis by Changsha Public Transport Group. In sorting out the service needs of passengers, elderly passengers have the highest proportion of feedback, and among the feedback issues, boarding height is the most reflected issue.
In order to reduce the hidden dangers of elderly people getting on the bus, Changsha Public Transport Group has forwarded relevant opinions to vehicle manufacturers and specially customized a batch of low entry vehicle models for elderly passengers.
According to data, the monthly average number of elderly passengers transported by the urban public transportation system in Changsha is about 6.2 million, accounting for 23% of the total passenger flow. By this year, Changsha has put 41 low entry buses into use on 9 lines. In addition to the renovation of vehicles, Changsha has also equipped the "Respect for the Elderly and Love the Elderly Special Line" with medical kits, voice reminders for elderly passengers, and special training on service standards for drivers. Drivers are required to wait for the elderly to take their seats before starting the vehicle. In addition, a "guardian seat" has been established for the first time to address the memory decline of some elderly people.
While promoting aging friendly transformation, the quality of ground public transportation in Changsha is also improving synchronously. Currently, the proportion of new and clean energy buses in Changsha has reached 100%, and the average operating speed of public buses and trams during peak hours in the morning and evening is 18 kilometers per hour. The real-time forecast rate of public bus and trams arrival information is 100% These experiences have made green travel the preferred choice for many citizens of Changsha.
At present, Hunan has put 146 low entry city buses into use throughout the province, opened 25 "respect and love the elderly" bus routes, and started testing the "love appointment" service. Green buses account for over 97% of the province's total.
