Bureau of Transportation Statistics

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Overall Travel Patterns of Older Americans

• Jeffery L. Memmott
• jeffery.memmott_at_bts.gov
• The analysis and results presented here are
  solely the authors and do not necessarily
  represent official policy of the Bureau of
  Transportation Statistics

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2001 National Household Transportation Survey

• A national survey of 60,000 individuals in 26,000
  households
• Data collected from March 2001 to May 2002
• Data collected for both Daily and Long-Distance
  Trips
• Weighted responses

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NHTS Long-Distance Trips

• Trips over 50 miles to farthest destination
• Data collected for all trips during a specific
  4-week period
• Each trip includes all segments of the trip,
  originating and ending at home

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• Drivers make significantly more long-distance
  trips than non-drivers for all age groups
• Male drivers make more trips than female drivers
  for all age groups, though the gap narrows with
  the 75 age group
• Conversely female non-drivers make about the same
  or slightly more trips than male non-drivers

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• Personal vehicle is the dominant mode for
  long-distance trips, about 87 to 90 of all
  trips
• Bus use increases for higher age groups, from
  about 1 for the 25-54 age group, to about 6 for
  the 75 age group
• The use of air travel does not vary much by age
  group

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• Long distance commuting and business trips
  decline sharply at higher age groups
• Pleasure trips increase from about 46 in the
  25-54 age group to about 66 in the 75 age group
• Personal business trips also increase from about
  10 in the 25-54 age group to about 25 in the
  75 age group

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• There is very little change in distance traveled
  by different age groups
• The 65-74 age group shows the greatest variation,
  with somewhat fewer trips in the 50-99 mile
  category, and more trips in the 100-249 mile
  category
• The percentage of the longest trips (over a 1,000
  miles) are very similar at about 6 to 7 percent
  of all trips for each age category

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NHTS Daily Trips

• Data collected for all trips on one specified day
• Travel made from one address to another is
  reported as a separate trip
• Specific questions and probes were added to
  capture biking and walking trips, thought to be
  undercounted in previous surveys

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• A significant narrowing of hours trips are taken
  occurs at higher age groups
• The percentage of trips taken between 9-12 am and
  12-3 pm goes up at higher age groups, about 62
  of all trips taken by the 75 age group are taken
  during these hours
• Early morning and night time periods decline at
  higher age groups

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• Mean number of trips decline at higher age groups
• Non-drivers take far fewer trips than drivers
  across all age groups, for example in the 85 age
  group, drivers take an average of about 3 trips a
  day compared to about 1 trip a day for
  non-drivers
• Much smaller differences are observed between
  males and females

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• Private vehicle is the dominant mode across all
  age groups, used in about 90 of all trips
• Multiple occupancy vehicles are used more
  frequently at higher age groups
• Transit use is very low, between 1 and 2
• Walking trips make up about 8 to 9 of all
  trips, consistent over all age groups

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• Family/personal and social/recreational trips
  represent about 87 to 90 of all trips for older
  Americans
• Church/school trips represent about an additional
  5 to 6 of all trips for older Americans
• Work trips decline substantially at higher age
  groups, but do not disappear. About 2 to 6 of
  all trips by older Americans are work or work
  related trips