Jones, A;
Goodman, A;
Roberts, H;
Steinbach, R;
Green, J;
(2013)
Entitlement to concessionary public transport and wellbeing: A qualitative study of young people and older citizens in London, UK.
Social Science & Medicine
, 91
pp. 202-209.
10.1016/j.socscimed.2012.11.040.
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Abstract
Access to transport is an important determinant of health, and concessionary fares for public transport are one way to reduce the ‘transport exclusion’ that can limit access. This paper draws on qualitative data from two groups typically at risk of transport exclusion: young people (12–18 years of age, n = 118) and older citizens (60+ years of age, n = 46). The data were collected in London, UK, where young people and older citizens are currently entitled to concessionary bus travel. We focus on how this entitlement is understood and enacted, and how different sources of entitlement mediate the relationship between transport and wellbeing. Both groups felt that their formal entitlement to travel for free reflected their social worth and was, particularly for older citizens, relatively unproblematic. The provision of a concessionary transport entitlement also helped to combat feelings of social exclusion by enhancing recipients' sense of belonging to the city and to a ‘community’. However, informal entitlements to particular spaces on the bus reflected less valued social attributes such as need or frailty. Thus in the course of travelling by bus the enactment of entitlements to space and seats entailed the negotiation of social differences and personal vulnerabilities, and this carried with it potential threats to wellbeing. We conclude that the process, as well as the substance, of entitlement can mediate wellbeing; and that where the basis for providing a given entitlement is widely understood and accepted, the risks to wellbeing associated with enacting that entitlement will be reduced.
| Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Title: | Entitlement to concessionary public transport and wellbeing: A qualitative study of young people and older citizens in London, UK |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| DOI: | 10.1016/j.socscimed.2012.11.040 |
| Publisher version: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2012.11.040 |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | Copyright © 2013. This manuscript version is published under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial Non-derivative 4.0 International licence (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0). This licence allows you to share, copy, distribute and transmit the work for personal and non-commercial use providing author and publisher attribution is clearly stated. Further details about CC BY licences are available at http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0. Access may be initially restricted by the publisher. |
| Keywords: | UK; Entitlement; Public transport; Young people; Older citizens; Belonging; Social exclusion; Wellbeing |
| 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 > UCL GOS Institute of Child Health UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Population Health Sciences > UCL GOS Institute of Child Health > Population, Policy and Practice Dept |
| URI: | https://discovery-pp.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/1384634 |
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