Public transit infrastructure is essential to ensure the mobility of the elderly, enabling them to travel efficiently for various purposes such as recreational and medical. However, although the phenomenon of rapidly ageing communities has become a global problem, the public transport infrastructure is yet to be fully adapted in several countries to cater for the needs of these growing users, thus leading to accessibility issues. It is therefore essential to devise appropriate tools to assess the conditions of the existing infrastructure and ultimately devise appropriate measures.

This study was conducted using the newly built Light Rail Transit (LRT) network in the urban areas of Rose Hill and Quatre Bornes in Mauritius as case studies. Following a comprehensive literature review, it was deduced that the accessibility at transit stations is dependent on three main factors, namely, quality of pathway, security, and furniture present. A toolkit consisting of these three major parameters and sub-components was developed to rate the accessibility of transit stations in the selected study area using a walk over survey. The results of the toolkit were used to calculate the scores of three LRT stations in the study area and demonstrated using spider charts.

Our findings indicate that the infrastructure at LRT stations satisfied several accessibility criteria for the elderly in terms of good surface quality and continuity of footpath, adequate street lighting, provision of furniture such as benches and shelters, and cleanliness. However, they fared poorly in terms of kerb height, presence of various obstructions along the pathway and the lack of priority crossings. The findings highlight that although public transport infrastructure is being built to high standards, additional consideration can be given during the planning and design phase to specific aspects to better cater for the mobility needs of elderly pedestrians.