Abstract

Aging is a significant social issue today. In many Asian countries, the increase of the population percentage of older persons has put great pressure on governments, related departments and organisations, private companies, and non-government organisations serving older persons. Despite their efforts, older persons still face a certain degree of exclusion and continue to receive limited concern and assistance in their daily lives. Since 2003, the Public Design Lab of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University has conducted a series of applied research projects relating to the needs and preferences of older persons. The key aim of the projects is to bring a better quality of public life to older persons. In many Asian cities, public buses are the most popular form of transportation for older persons. Taking an applied research project on buses in Hong Kong as a case study, this paper identifies the difficulties of older persons in accessing buses. By applying the Universal Design Principles introduced by the Center of Universal Design of the North Carolina State University, and according to the findings obtained from participatory research workshops by older persons, the paper attempts to identify some key design issues that require attention and goes on to propose possible improvements.