Good to Go: Assessing the Transit Needs of New York Metro and Western New York AARP Members

To help assess the transportation needs of older New Yorkers, these 2006 AARP mail surveys examine the mobility experiences of age 75+ AARP members in both Metropolitan New York City and in Western New York.

Of those surveyed...

in Metro NYC:

• 60 percent generally drive to the places they want to go.
• 81 percent report getting out of their home three or more times per week. However, 16 percent only get out once or twice, if at all, and those without licenses are more than twice as likely (35%) to be homebound this often.

in Western NY:

• 80 percent generally drive to the places they want to go.
• 77% report getting out of their home three or more times per week. However, 18 percent only get out once or twice, if at all, and those without licenses are three times as likely (57%) to be homebound this often.

These AARP mail surveys of 1,128 AARP members in Metropolitan New York City and 1,423 AARP members in Western New York were both conducted between June 1 and July 18, 2006. (In both surveys, respondents include about 90 percent of AARP members age 75 and older and 10 percent of younger members.)

Anita Stowell-Ritter, Katherine Bridges, and Regina Sims wrote the Metro NYC report. Katherine Bridges, author of the Western NY report, can be contacted at 207-899-2094 for more information about either report.