The share of older adults in New Jersey is constantly increasing. Because of the “aging-in-place” phenomenon, they are aging in the suburbs and exurbs, where mass transit is not readily available and people are not accustomed to taking transit. Many older adults also have disabilities that prevent them from walking and taking fixed-route transit. Although people with disabilities take many more trips as passengers of cars driven by household members than by transit, a large share of older adults live alone in single-person households. Furthermore, exclusive publicly funded or subsidized transportation services for older adults are rare, and even when they exist, their utility is limited because desired destinations are often not accessible and desired services are unavailable when needed. Securing sustained funding even for successful pilots is sometimes challenging. With that background, this research will identify areas likely to experience growth of older adults within NJ, examine the mobility needs and barriers of older adults by considering them as geographically and socioeconomically heterogeneous, examine existing service gaps, review service model best practices throughout the country and evaluate their applicability in NJ, examine potential funding mechanisms, and make recommendations for current and future seamless services to fulfill the unmet mobility needs of older adults, including service models, potential public-private partnerships, and pilot programs.NJDOT Research
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