Understanding the ridesharing needs of older adults

Riding in the comfort of a private vehicle is the preferred mode of alternate transportation, but ridesharing services might also fit the needs of older drivers. To understand the ridesharing needs of older adults, the vehicles of 39 drivers 65 years and older were instrumented for two weeks. Post-drive interviews were conducted to understand their ridesharing challenges. A Contextual Design approach was used to assess the data from the instrumentation recordings and interview responses. Results from the Contextual Design showed that older adults faced four main challenges: limited social network, efficient communication of trip details and needs, and establishing trip reliability and privacy. These findings were used to design and build a web-based ridesharing tool prototype for older adults that addressed these challenges. Implementing such tools on current ridesharing platforms and ICTs could provide more accessible mobility options, and prolong the overall mobility and independence of older adults.