Facilitators and barriers to the implementation of community-based transportation services for older adults: Evidence from six case studies

In the context of population aging, community-based transportation services are increasingly being relied upon to provide transportation for older adults. Examples of these services include volunteer driver programs and small shuttle bus services operated by non-profits, private companies, and municipalities. Despite filling important gaps in the transportation system, these services are often overlooked in transportation research and planning. This paper contributes to this research gap by providing evidence on the facilitators and barriers to implementation of community-based transportation services for older adults. We present evidence from six case studies in British Columbia, Canada: a paratransit service (Step up ‘N’ Ride), an on-demand transit service (Zunga Bus), a volunteer driver program (Richmond Cares, Richmond Gives Volunteer Driver Program), a semi-fixed route shuttle service (Go Bus), a neighbourhood-based door-to-door service (Collingwood Neighbourhood House Seniors’ Shuttle), and a free door-to-door service (Delta Seniors Bus). Guided by the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research, we reviewed publicly available documents and conducted semi-structured interviews with key informants knowledgeable about the services. Facilitators and barriers to implementation centred on five themes: the availability of the service (innovation), the often overlooked but important role of drivers (individuals), tailoring and adapting the service to meet older adults’ needs (implementation process), the strengths of inter-organizational and -sectoral partnerships (inner setting), and the intermittent and inefficient nature of funding for transportation services in the sector (outer setting). Bringing forward learnings from the implementation of community-based transportation services can help inform the development and planning of these services in other communities.