Elderly Challenge - Observation 3 (16th June)

What I have observed so far is that it is hard for the elderly to travel. Firstly taxis. For any senior citizen. It is hard to get into a cab. Firstly they have to step onto the road, then into the taxi for them to get in. The they have to bend in and drop on to the seat. First the two steps. For anyone like us it would be very easy, but for them it would take a toll on their legs, which could easily break if it is done too fast. Secondly the bend. This can hurt the elderly very much. There will be a high strain on their backs when they do this. This can cause them to be immobile for a few seconds. The chances are higher if they do not have enough calcium in their system. The last part is where they get seated. Even though it may seem like a harmless enough action. This can leave them breathless as their insides rise and then drop down. Most of us must have felt that feeling before especially during bungee jumping. For the elderly being breathless can also lead to death. My suggestion is the seat can extend out from the taxi. May seem a bit far fetched but it is possible. Just picture the sliding function of a fireman's ladder. That can be put under the seat be operated by pulleys which are powered by motors.

Another mode that is not user friendly is the bus. But not so much nowadays. Buses are very hard to climb up. Firstly the first step is hard to reach. The to climb up the steps is another pain. If it is crowded they might not get a seat and of it is a double-decker bus, the elderly would not even be able to climb up the stairs to get a seat. If they are wheel chair bound it will be worse. Even though they have wheel chair buses. They only help wheel chair bound people. Not the elderly as a whole. I suggest that ALL buses have this ramp that all elderly people can use. For the stairs, maybe the height of each step can be thinner.

Lastly the MRT. It seems easy for the elderly to get on an MRT. There is even a lift to help them to the platform, but it is still not enough. The MRT Station is very crowded during peak hours. This gives them a chance to fall, for the wheel chair bound no space to move. For the wheel chair bound it will also be hard to rush to get into the train. Even if they do get in it will be hard to maneuver their wheel chairs and if it is very crowded they will not be able to move. I think they should have a wheel chair carriage that has wheel chair parking spaces and an elderly carriage that is filled with seats that have a barricade in between each seat for them to push themselves up.

I think that public transport are already doing a lot for the elderly, but these are just things that they can improve on.