With an increased proportion of older people living at home, the need for adapted transport service will increase. AKT Svipp is a carpooling service, without fixed timetable. The service can make it possible for elderly to live longer in their own home and maintain independence and participation in social activities and increased quality of life.
The upcoming demographic challenge with a significant increase in the proportion of elderly people is well known. How to accompany this challenge in future health service are often discussed. In contrast, transport needs for the elderly are not so frequently discussed. With an increased proportion of elderly living at home, so will the need for adapted transport services increase.
Many elderly experience great loss when they must give up their driving licence. Earlier studies have shown a connection between the extent to which this group has the opportunity to participate in activities outside the home - and quality of life. Good transport solutions or services are therefore important to accommodate the needs of this group.
An Age-Friendly Norway
In late 2020, Agder public transportation company (AKT) was setting up a test project in a town district in Kristiansand, Vågsbygd. A transport offer that provides new travel opportunities for elderly and persons with special needs, called AKT Svipp. A trip with AKT Svipp costs the same as a normal bus journey within the same zone, and you can continue the regular bus service under normal conditions with the same ticket. AKT Svipp is a carpooling service, without fixed timetable, but where customers must book in advance. There are more than 800 registered users of the pilot solution in the district of Vågsbygd, Kristiansand.
The customer still has great flexibility in relation to time of booking, pick-up time and service level. A similar service pilot started in early 2021 in Arendal and later in Oslo.
The Council for an Age-Friendly Norway has recently pointed out that a well-functioning mobility solution for elderly people living at home are a big challenge. SVIPP is an environmentally friendly mobility solution enable more elderly and disabled to live longer in their own home, maintain their independence and participation in social activities and reduce the burden on family members.
The AKT svipp solution can reduce or delay the need for a long-term care facility or even avoid it. Such a delayed need for long term care facility can provide large socio-economic savings.
The pilot model developed by AKT involves a combination of increased simplification through digitalisation and dynamic traffic management and opens the opportunity to coordinate AKT Svipp with other statutory transport tasks for persons who are unable to use public transport.
If you are travelling to or from public healthcare treatment, you may in some cases, have the right to be refunded. Next step is the study of transportation services across municipal borders and with multi-level public transport providers and could contribute to improve the public transport service in Agder.