Vulnerable Users and Public Transport Service: Analysis on Expected and Perceived Quality Data

Today’s cities are meeting places, economic and social development centers, where all citizens should have the opportunity to live and move, according to adequate quality of life standards. However, this does not always correspond to reality in particular for the most vulnerable categories of the population. So, UN’s 2030 Agenda underlines the need to make cities inclusive and accessible by means, for instance, a suitable transport system for all, and in particular for vulnerable people as older people. A lot of studies presented interesting contributes on how older people choose to move and initiatives taken to address their public transport requirements, but no attention has been given to evaluate expected and perceived quality of public transport system, particularly referring to older people. So, the aim of this study is to highlight which should be the most important attributes of a public transport service (PTS) for over 65 years old passengers and if the local PTS satisfy their desires. By an intercept on board survey in the metropolitan area of Cagliari, it has been shown that, for all users, PTS appears qualitatively adequate with respect to each attribute analysed and vulnerable customers are more satisfied than all.