Quantifying Service Accessibility/Transport Disadvantage for Older People in Non-Metropolitan South Australia

The proportion of Australia’s population aged 65 years and over is increasing. In a highly mobile society that relies on car transportation for obtaining essential goods and services, challenges exist for the ageing population when their ability to utilise a car as a form of transport diminishes. Limited transport is a particular concern for those living in non-metropolitan areas due to reduced service accessibility. This research aimed to develop a spatial index to quantify the degree of service accessibility/transport disadvantage for the population aged 65 years and over living in the Murray and Mallee region of South Australia. The index developed comprised two components. The first component incorporated accessibility to key services utilised by older people. The second component quantified public transport options. Together, these components formed a composite index that can be used independently or in conjunction with other spatial datasets. The index methodology developed has the capacity to be broadly applied through the adaptation of key parameters specific to other population cohorts and would benefit from application in other non-metropolitan regions within Australia and abroad.