Transport-related social exclusion amongst older people in rural Southwest England and Wales

► Social exclusion due to transport reasons is assessed for older citizens in six rural areas in the UK. ► Rurality is found to have a small, statistically significant effect on overall exclusion. ► Car availability had greater influence than age on difficulty in accessing essential services. ► The growing number of older old suggests a growing accessibility deficit particularly in rural areas. ► Policy should consider active travel and organised lift-sharing alongside public transport solutions.