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Ethnic group differences in impacts of free bus passes in England: A national study

Patterson, R; Webb, E; Mindell, JS; Millett, C; Laverty, AA; (2018) Ethnic group differences in impacts of free bus passes in England: A national study. Journal of Transport and Health , 11 pp. 1-14. 10.1016/j.jth.2018.09.005. Green open access

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Abstract

BACKGROUND: A pass permitting free bus travel for older people (aged ≥60 years) in England was introduced in 2006. There has been no examination of whether this scheme has differential effects across ethnic groups. We examined whether Black and South Asian participants were more likely to hold a bus pass and have higher associated levels of active travel than White participants. METHODS: Data come from the National Travel Survey, a nationally representative sample of the travel patterns of households in England. Using cross-sectional data from 33,344 participants eligible for a bus pass 2006–2014, we investigated ethnic differences in bus pass uptake and associations with bus use, active travel and walking ≥3 times per week. RESULTS: Black participants were more likely to hold a bus pass (84%) than South Asian or White participants (74% and 75% respectively). Black participants accumulated 56% of their active travel as part of bus journeys, compared with 29% in White and 44% in South Asian participants. Bus pass possession was associated with increased odds of bus-related active travel in all ethnic groups. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that the free bus pass scheme in England is associated with higher levels of active travel and that these may be greater among minority ethnic groups. Removing financial barriers to active travel could produce important health benefits particularly among ethnic minority groups, who have low levels of leisure-based physical activity.

Type: Article
Title: Ethnic group differences in impacts of free bus passes in England: A national study
Open access status: An open access version is available from UCL Discovery
DOI: 10.1016/j.jth.2018.09.005
Publisher version: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jth.2018.09.005
Language: English
Additional information: © 2018 Elsevier Ltd.This version is the author accepted manuscript/version of record [delete as appropriate]. For information on re-use, please refer to the publisher’s terms and conditions.
Keywords: Ethnicity, Active travel, Older people, Prevention, Physical activity, Public transport
UCL classification: UCL
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Population Health Sciences > Institute of Epidemiology and Health
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Population Health Sciences > Institute of Epidemiology and Health > Epidemiology and Public Health
URI: https://discovery-pp.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10058365
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