Role of Transport Policies in Promoting Older Adults' Mobility: A Review of Government Policies in Pakistan

1. INTRODUCTION

People now have longer lives than they had previously, and the number of individuals over the age of 65 is rising worldwide. According to the United Nations (2015), the proportion of older adults (aged 60 and above) has increased from 384 million in 1950 to about 901 million in 2015. A similar trend can be observed in Pakistan, where the percentage of older adults is projected to reach 14% by 2050 (Bashir & Nazir, 2022; Cheema, 2013; Islam et al., 2025). Such a swift increase in the older population could negatively affect transport accessibility and activity participation. The aging population has led to a rise in the prevalence of inactivity, decreased mobility, and less active travel (Ahacic et al., 2000; Chodzko-Zajko et al., 2009; He et al., 2018).

Resultantly, older adults are more likely to be marginalized, to be subject to social inequity, to have relatively limited engagement in everyday activities, and to have their health conditions deteriorate (He et al., 2018). Furthermore, physical, financial, or mobility restrictions significantly contribute to low activity participation (Ignaccolo et al., 2016). Insufficient access to public transportation may contribute to persistent and widening social divides, resulting in decreased social cohesion, social welfare, and overall standard of living (Banister, 2005; Hui & Habib, 2014; Kenyon, 2011). Thus, accessibility and mobility are essential considerations for sustainable transport planning.

Coupled with an older population and a pressing need for sustainable transportation development, it appears more necessary than ever to combine hands and develop a comprehensive transport system capable of providing high accessibility for everyone (Banister, 2008). On the contrary, older adults' unique accessibility and activity demands are seldom recognized, and neither are the social implications of transport policies adequately considered (Van Regenmortel et al., 2016; Walsh et al., 2017). The key reasons behind this are poor transport policy-making and negligence in research on transport development. Hence, considerable mobility challenges among older adults require innovative policies and methods to address urban public transport delivery (Lucas & Stanley, 2013).

Older adults in Pakistan experience critical mobility challenges and remain physically inactive due to the unavailability of sustainable transport modes (Ahmad et al., 2019; Al-Rashid et al., 2023). Public transport infrastructure also poses significant challenges and is not age-friendly, limiting travel options for older adults (Al-Rashid et al., 2022). Consequently, older adults in Pakistan mainly depend on private vehicles and need support from their caretakers even for their everyday needs (Al-Rashid et al., 2021; Sabzwari & Azhar, 2011). It suggests the significance of local transport policies to address such mobility needs among older adults in Pakistan. This study aimed to critically review the transport-related policies and management structures in Pakistan and analyzed the extent to which these policies address the mobility issues of older adults.

The article is structured as follows: the next section explains the existing policy-making structure concerning transportation in Pakistan. Section 3 discusses various programs and policy documents on transport prepared by the federal, provincial, and district governments. Section 4 highlights the critical issues and gaps in the existing policies, plans, and programs. The last section concludes the research and provides recommendations.

Literature Review

Transport policies play a critical part in supporting mobility for older adults. Accessible public transport and concessionary fares, like low-floor buses, have been implemented to tackle the UK's affordability and physical limitations (Metz, 2003). Furthermore, it was added that the Disability Discrimination Act ensures public service vehicles are accessible to older people with disabilities. However, the efficiency of specific policies remains challenging to assess, requiring improved assessment methods (Lin & Cui, 2021). Mercado et al. (2010) researched transport policies and mobility options for older adults in Ontario, Canada. They found a pressing need for an obligation concerning three major policy aspects: provision of mobility options, legislative and institutional methods, and building accessible mobility environments. Previous studies focused on policies addressing older people's mobility needs are limited in context and are mostly confined to case studies of a specific policy in a particular region (Haustein & Siren, 2014; Rye & Carreno, 2008).

In developing countries, behavior changing communication interventions have shown promise in improving knowledge and educating about protection for older adults (Patil et al., 2022). Tennakoon et al. (2020) studied transport equity for older adults in Sri Lanka. They found that older people face challenges while accessing public transportation, restricting their contribution to society. Olawole and Aloba (2014) determined the mobility characteristics of older adults and their correlated satisfaction level with transport services in Osogbo, Southwestern Nigeria. They found low satisfaction levels with transport services among different age groups. They recommended that the government needs to add the problems of old adults' mobility and safety to the transport policy and affordable public transport services.

In developing countries, few initiatives have been taken towards enhancing safety and access to public transport infrastructure for older adults (Krüger et al., 2021). Despite the efforts from various institutions to address the needs of the aging population regarding public transport, such as bus rapid transit, improvement in non-motorized transport, and bus corridors with priority lanes, inequalities are faced by older adults when accessing the transport infrastructure (Fan & Chen, 2020). Subsidized fares have made public transport accessible and affordable in Latin American countries, such as Chile and Colombia (Patil et al., 2022). Additionally, technological innovations and car design variations are evolving as possible solutions to keep mobility in older adults (Lin & Cui, 2021). Though good governance and stakeholder participation are necessary steps to foster sustainable urban transport infrastructure, the absence of assessment and inter-sectoral coordination persists in primary confronts (Patil et al., 2022). Policies can be adapted in other developing countries to make public and non-motorized modes accessible and affordable to older adults regardless of income.

Sustainable transport systems integrating age-friendly infrastructure add to a wide-ranging mobility framework, accelerating independent travel for older adults (Zhang & Yang, 2024). This study recommended that public transport inclusion may improve older adults' social engagement, health, and subjective well-being. It could also enhance travel opportunities for active aging in four ways: physical accessibility, affordability, accessibility to services, and age-friendly information. Similarly, Tinella et al. (2023) explored how to encourage an older adult's public transport system using three features: accessibility, affordability, and safety. A psychological perspective was also introduced by considering the psycho-physical preferences and needs of older adults and the personal factors influencing them. Four areas were considered: comfort and convenience, physical health and well-being, social inclusion and ageism, and independence and autonomy.

A study examined mobility in older adults regarding personal and built-environment factors linked with subjective transportation deficiency in the United States (Kim, 2011). It was found that older low-income people and suburban residents face higher transport deficiency, lessened through walkable activity clusters. They suggested improving walkability, safe driving, and creating suburban service nodes to foster accessibility. Similarly, Ramírez-Saiz et al. (2025) identified the role of design elements to encourage social inclusion among older adults. They found considerable overlaps in the mobility requirements among older adults, specifically regarding inclusive features, such as barrier-free crossings, noise reduction, intermediate seating, and enhanced wayfinding. These measures with universal design encourage older adults' mobility.

While extensive research has examined transport policies supporting older adults' mobility in developed and high-income countries, there is a significant lack of studies focusing on developing nations. Existing literature predominantly addresses well-established transport systems with strong institutional frameworks, leaving a gap in understanding how policies function in regions with limited resources and evolving governance structures. The current study addressed this gap by critically analyzing transport policies and institutional frameworks in Pakistan, where the aging population is rapidly increasing, yet mobility challenges remain underexplored in policy discourse.

Methodology

This study assessed the effectiveness of government transport policies in enhancing mobility among older adults in Pakistan, with a specific focus on Lahore metropolitan. Initially, a comprehensive literature review synthesized existing knowledge on transport policies, aging demographics, and urban mobility challenges within the Pakistani context using relevant studies and documents. The study reviewed academic journals, conference proceedings, books, project reports, and manuals of the Planning  Commission of  Pakistan. Subsequently, a critical analysis of official policy documents and strategic plans scrutinized provisions and implementations to address older adults' mobility needs at the federal, provincial, and district levels. These documents were analyzed using a qualitative policy analysis approach to identify key features, priorities, and gaps in transport policy provisions related to older adults. The analysis aimed to uncover policy formulation and implementation patterns, highlight challenges, and identify opportunities in order to improve mobility access for the aging population in urban Pakistan.

The Constitution of Pakistan designates the Government of Pakistan as the established governing body of the four provinces that comprise the parliamentary democratic republic known as the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Due to British influences, the governance system in Pakistan is based on the Westminster system of the United Kingdom. Thus, the executive, legislative, and judicial branches mainly encompass the government, where the Prime Minister, the Constitution in the Parliament, and the Supreme Court confer all rights. The President of Pakistan acts as a figurehead, while the Prime Minister, who is directly elected by the people, leads the executive branch and oversees the federal cabinet. In addition, the President has the authority to enact ordinances and laws under the constitution.

Similarly, the federal cabinet plays a significant role in preparing and executing national programs associated with several sectors, notably transport development and planning (Imran, 2010). On the other hand, the provincial governments were declared autonomous after the 18^th  amendment of the Constitution (Hussain & Kokab, 2012). Thus, each provincial government comprises an independent provincial cabinet responsible for overseeing its provincial departments. The provincial and district-level departments mainly prepare and implement the policies and plans. Additionally, their respective provincial governments make budgetary allocations to each provincial department. However, the Government of Pakistan controls domestic funds and foreign aid for provincial and local governments through the federal ministries (Imran, 2010). Hence, different federal ministries and provincial departments deal separately with transport planning and development.

Several organizations in Pakistan are involved in guiding and preparing transport policies. The national government is vital in transportation decision-making due to a centralized governance structure. It possesses considerable leverage over domestic capital and foreign development assistance. Although the Planning Commission, working under the Ministry of Planning, Development and Special Initiatives, is not directly linked to the transport sector, it substantially influences it via budgetary allocation for all essential development plans. The Planning Commission oversees all programs and seeks consent from the National Economic Council (NEC). The Executive Committee of NEC then approves all development programs of the private and public sectors and implements economic policies (Imran, 2010).

Notably, various ministries and associated national, provincial, and district departments oversee and plan multiple transportation systems in Pakistan. Table 1 and 2 given below list these ministries and departments and their transportation-related functions and responsibilities.

Table 1 Transport-related Institutions, their Roles, and Responsibilities

Table 2 Provincial Level Transport-related Institutions, their Roles, and Responsibilities

 The summary presented in Table 1 and 2 show that many federal, provincial, and district agencies are directly or indirectly responsible for the transportation sector. As previously discussed, the Planning Commission is the leading federal-level planning policy, coordinating with different federal ministries and provincial departments. For transportation, the Planning Commission supervises the transport-related planning projects prepared by the Provincial HUDPHE Departments. Similarly, the provincial Transport and C&W Departments coordinate with the Federal Ministry of Communication. Moreover, the C&W Department coordinates with the Pakistan Railways and aligns their future transport proposals. The provincial and district-level transport organizations directly report to their respective provincial departments within the provincial hierarchy.

Figure 1

Hierarchy of the Transport-related Institutions

Existing studies report a lack of coordination among these transport departments due to their conflicting roles and responsibilities (Imran, 2010; Meakin, 1998). The problem is even more severe regarding the urban public transportation system. According to Imran (2009), the national government neither offered public transportation operations nor introduced urban transportation services. Instead, it encouraged the provincial government to hand the operating system to private companies. However, with the introduction of the Punjab Mass Transit Authority (PMA), public transport dynamics have improved in major cities, such as Lahore. The detailed hierarchy of the transport-related institutions is presented in Figure1.

This section explains the transportation policies and plans prepared by national, provincial, and district governments. The following sub-section reviews the planning commission documents. Following that, the transportation development strategies of 'other' federal and provincial ministries would be addressed.

As previously stated, the Planning Commission is the leading planning agency that prepares transportation policies at the national level. This section reviews the related plans and policies formulated by the Planning Commission. Table 3 summarizes the five-year development plans, vision documents, and other policies prepared by the Planning Commission. The critical features of these documents would help analyze how well they meet older adults' transportation needs.

Table 3 Relevant Documents Prepared by the Planning Commission

It can be seen from Table 3 that the Planning Commission has actively worked and prepared long-term national policies. The work started soon after independence in 1947, and the first national five-year plan was launched in 1955. Each five-year plan set the targets, and the proposed strategies were addressed in each consecutive plan till the eighth five-year plan (1993-1998). After the eighth plan, the government switched to the national development frameworks as an alternative to the five-year development plans. Similarly, long-term vision documents were proposed to support the development frameworks. However, the focus shifted back to the five-year plans due to the inadequacy and limited scope within these frameworks. Thus, in 2013, the eleventh five-year plan was launched. The twelfth five-year plan was recently implemented in 2018. Similarly, the Planning Commission proposed a national-level transport policy to address the transport issues in 2018.

Table 4 summarizes the urban transport plans for the Lahore district prepared by relevant provincial and district institutions to analyze the extent to which older adults' transportation issues have been discussed in these plans.

Table 4 Provincial and District-level Transport Plans and Policies for Lahore

The above table depicts numerous plans and strategies that were prepared in the past to guide urban transport in the Lahore district. However, transportation has been discussed exclusively, along with the specific transport master plans and the overall urban master plan. Similarly, it was debated within the provincial urban policy and medium-term development framework. Thus, it provided a variety of dimensions to manage transport issues in the Punjab and Lahore districts. The detailed timeline showing the visual summary of all policies and plans is provided in Figure 2.

Figure 2

Timeline of the Relevant Transport Policies and Plans Implemented

Discussion

This section discusses the critical issues and loopholes in the current policies, plans, and programs carried out in Pakistan regarding transportation policies that consider older adults' mobility needs. The section is divided into four parts: issues and gaps in the national and provincial/district level policies are separately discussed, and problems have been identified.

The transportation sector has been significantly identified and discussed in the aforementioned national vision documents and five-year plans from the very start. As a result, the transportation sector has been considered vital for the country's economic growth and has received significant budgetary allocations throughout the timeline. However, several issues persist in these plans.

Almost all the plans, including MDTF and economic framework, advocated road construction and transport investments. Developing roads to provide regional connections remained the primary goal. Even in the urban development segments, most financial capital was set aside for road widening and building urban flyovers, interchanges, and underpasses. The preference for road transport was maintained in most of the plans, with the premise that it would contribute to the speedy economic growth of the country. However, promoting urban public transport was not prioritized and gained little attention. Moreover, the non-motorized and public transportation sectors were not allocated any funds, even in major cities of the country.

The importance and need to incorporate the transport dimension in the urban development agenda were identified even in the initial five-year plans. For instance, the 2^nd five-year plan advocated forming a long-term transportation development plan that subsequent development plans can pursue. Similarly, the fourth five-year plan stressed the significance of a comprehensive approach to urban growth and transportation. However, most of the subsequent plans did not follow the suggestions. Although it was stated in recent five-year plans and vision documents, urban public transit was not thoroughly discussed, particularly its inclusion in the overarching urban development framework.

Detailed research, rigorous statistical or quantitative surveys, and travel data collection were required to better understand transportation needs. Likewise, the fourth five-year plan revealed the importance of traffic predictions, accessibility, and land use transportation planning to shape transport strategies. In this regard, the sixth five-year plan also facilitated transportation research by allocating 50 million rupees to the development of the National Highway Research Institute and 30 million to the NTRC.

However, the transport and urban development plans failed to incorporate older adults' mobility needs, except for travel concessions for trains and buses for older adults. Even Pakistan Vision 2030 stated, "We must prepare for the aging of our population and issues related to caring for the aged in 2030". Yet, it overlooked the significance of accessible transport for older adults' development. Similarly, the later plans and policies provide no evidence of the travel quality or accessibility for older adults.

The recent National Transport Policy 2018 also did not outline the problems of older adults' transport in the urban context of Pakistan. Indeed, the words "older adults" and "senior citizens" are not featured in the policy document. However, when it comes to using public transit, it relates to all users. All initiatives and programs should address older adults' mobility and transportation issues.

Since engineers, designers, and planners are considered experts in the transport sector, it is generally believed that transportation is a specialized realm in which the general public appears to have limited knowledge. According to the National Transport Policy 2018, the consultation process includes arranging meetings with key stakeholders in the transportation sector, drafting discussion papers for dissemination to stakeholder groups, delivering workshops to present findings, and encouraging participant feedback and suggestions. Nevertheless, the needs of the general public—especially those of older adults—are frequently disregarded in this consultation process. They are, therefore, incapable of expressing their issues or bringing up a discussion of their transportation needs.

Although legislative mechanisms rely heavily on 'expert' and 'technical' competence, the individual in charge of the policymaking organization also has a significant impact. For instance, while five-year plans and other medium or long-term plans are formulated in the planning commission, these seem practically meaningless when the 'person at the top' goes. Similarly, there is no assurance or recognition of the development plans when a new leader takes control. Hence, the change in the priorities of policymakers and leaders ultimately hinders the effective implementation of programs.

Provincial or District-level Policies on Transport

Transport development has also been prioritized and discussed at the provincial and district levels. As a result, provincial policies and district master plans have jointly been implemented and complemented. Evaluating the public transport policy and planning documents prepared for the Lahore district has provided an intriguing example of how policy paradigms have evolved, been gradually modified, and retained. Regardless of the undeniable benefits that public transportation policies and plans could have brought, the review provided several flaws in the policy implementation and development. It is summarized as:

Numerous urban transport plans have been prepared and implemented in the past. However, somehow, these plans primarily focused on road development and widening and neglected the significance of public transport. For instance, the Integrated Master Plan for Lahore (2001–2021), which was supposed to provide guidelines and strategies for urban transport, more likely emerged as a road development plan. In addition, the Punjab Urban Development Project and Lahore Roads Rehabilitation Project, which were initiated in 1988 and 1997, failed to consider the public transport aspects and focused mainly on road development and the improvement of road geometry.

Numerous efforts have been made in public transport provision but the lack of institutional capability for planning and managing public transport initiatives has resulted in the abandonment of many projects. For instance, during the late 1990s and early 2000s, some efforts were made by the Urban Public Transport Policy of 1998, which led to a slight improvement in the public transportation system of Lahore, and over 700 new buses began service on various routes. However, due to the limited functional capacity within the Transport Department, the government was unable to have much influence.

Some attempts were also made to improve the institutional capacities, however, they largely failed. Notably, the Lahore Urban Development and Traffic Study (1980 –2000) suggested deregulation of the institutional structure. As a result, the Transport Engineering and Planning Unit (TEPU) was founded to manage and plan the transport infrastructure. Similarly, some institutional reforms were also made in 1977, where the private sector was encouraged to compete with government-owned bus services. Punjab Road Transport Corporation (PRTC) and Punjab Urban Transport Corporation (PUTC) were founded in this regard. However, the public sector could not manage its projects despite these initiatives.

Over the years, there has been little attention from the government and insufficient funding allocated to public transportation infrastructure programs. Moreover, corporate consultants and foreign funding organizations were mainly tasked with planning and implementing other public transportation projects. For instance, PUTC and Volvo International Development Corporation collaborated and launched a Model Urban Transport System project for Lahore in 1980. As a result, 350 new Volvo buses were introduced into the fleet. However, PUTC did not advance its fleet to meet the increased demand and extended the bus route system in Lahore. Resultantly, PUTC attempted to entice the private sector by introducing a franchise bus scheme on exclusive routes operated and monitored by the private sector. However, all these attempts remained unsuccessful, and PUTC bus services began to dwindle. Thus, new buses were not bought, which shows a lack of government intent. As a result, the PUTC-managed public-owned bus system in Lahore crumpled just after a few years of service. The above-said example also reveals the government's reliance on international and private experts and its lack of intent to invest in and improve public transport infrastructure.

The influence of politics has consistently been a major barrier to the execution of development initiatives. Good urban transportation ideas have repeatedly been abandoned due to a lack of strong political leadership. For instance, a circular railway was proposed in the Master Plan for Greater Lahore (1965 –1980). It was pretty influential in connecting the peripheral areas with the city center. However, regardless of the innovative efforts, the circular railway as a mass transit did not provoke the interest of concerned stakeholders. Similarly, the Lahore Urban Development and Traffic Study (LUDTS) in 1980 again emphasized the Lahore Ring Road and circular railway Project. Still, it failed to create adequate public and non-motorized transportation plans for Lahore due to political pressure. Moreover, the 'Comprehensive Study on Transportation System in Lahore' in 1991 highlighted and proposed the light-rail transit system. However, political reasons again hindered the development of these transit services.

Regardless of the innovative efforts over the years, older adults' public transport and mobility needs have largely been neglected. Except for the few fiscal measures taken by PMA and PTC, such as 'Free Transport Card', which permits older adults and people with disabilities to ride PTC buses throughout the city of Lahore for free, and 'discounted tickets' for metro services, all the transport plans and policies were dealt technically.

Even though different strategies were proposed in the Medium-Term Development Framework for Punjab to improve urban transport, it also failed to address the public transport issues and older adults' travel needs. Similarly, the recent Lahore Urban Transport Master Plan (LUTMP) for 2030, which discretely focused on providing a mass-rapid transit system, does not consider the distinctive mobility needs of older adults. Thus, most provincial policies and district transport plans have failed to address the public transport issues and older adults' travel needs.

This study reviewed the existing institutional framework and transport policies and plans implemented in Pakistan, focusing on Lahore metropolitan. The main objective of this study was to emphasize how far these transport policies are effective and have addressed older adults' mobility needs. The findings are based on a comprehensive review of existing policies in the transport sector with a particular emphasis on older adults' needs. The findings suggested that no long-term and systematic endeavor has been introduced in Pakistan to improve older adults' mobility besides intermittent interventions on transportation issues. Equally, this concern has not been seriously addressed in planning and policy documents at various levels.

One of the challenges is the bureaucratic structure and limited coordination among policymaking organizations. Poor coordination contributes to and exaggerates rivalry among different organizations. Furthermore, where older adults' transport and accessibility needs are acknowledged, potential 'solutions' are mainly technical. Notably, this ignores the critical needs and limitations on older adults' mobility and the need for widespread attitude change to ensure that older adults have little trouble accessing and using public transportation. Besides, older adults are excluded from and do not participate in the policymaking process. This is because planners and engineers dominate the transportation sector, which is regarded as a 'technical' area in which the general public, particularly older adults, has no role. This exclusion leads to the implementation of transportation policies that fail to recognize older adults' complex travel needs. As a result, transportation policy ignores 'age-friendly characteristics'. Consequently, the development policy for older adults becomes 'transport or mobility blind'.

This study offered the following recommendations to improve transportation for older adults in Lahore, Pakistan. Firstly, policies must integrate their needs into all transport plans and develop a long-term strategy. Furthermore, inclusive policymaking should involve older adults in decision-making processes. Secondly, a centralized body should oversee coordination among institutions to avoid bureaucratic rivalry. Thirdly, solutions must address social and psychological factors, not just technical ones. Fourthly, design standards should ensure age-friendly and barrier-free access, while subsidized transport and paratransit services enhance accessibility among older adults. Fifthly, continuous monitoring and public awareness campaigns can further support implementing and improving these policies.

Conflict of Interest

The authors of the manuscript have no financial or non-financial conflict of interest in the subject matter or materials discussed in this manuscript.

Data Availability Statement

The data associated with this study will be provided by the corresponding author upon request.

Funding Details

This study is a part of the doctoral research of the first author, conducted at the Faculty of Built Environment, Universiti Malaya, Malaysia. The authors also acknowledge the financial support from the Higher Education Commission (HEC), Pakistan (SAP # 50035725) for conducting this research.