On the one hand, population ageing is growing and is expected to influence many aspects of everyday life including transportation. On the other hand, most public transport systems were designed on the basis of requirements and norms that today seem rather outdated. Consequently, there is a growing need to review and update the design parameters of public transport systems considering the needs of seniors as transport operators should provide safe, convenient, and reliable services to all users. The aim of this paper is to identify behavioural patterns, specific needs and challenges faced by the elderly in transportation hubs. In this purpose, field observations with videographic techniques were conducted at Athens International Airport (AIA) railway and metro station. Special emphasis was given on the ticketing service area and restroom areas. Regarding the ticketing service, a consistent trend of longer service durations for the elderly was observed. This observation is confirmed by a clustering analysis that indicates age to be a major classifier. The elders’ cluster has service durations approximately 50% longer than the youngers’ cluster. Regarding restroom areas, results indicate that seniors use them more frequently, but the duration of the usage is not substantially different to the one of younger populations. Findings are useful for both researchers and practitioners who can develop evidence-based station design protocols.

Elderly; Ageing; Public Transport Station; Ticketing Serice;;