Development of analytical approaches using smart card data while investigating travel behaviors in terms of space and planning Izmir case

Transportation is the common problem of all cities today. Rapidly increasing usage of vehicles leads to problems in all cities, especially in traditional urban centers. In parallel with the increasing economic importance of rapid transfer of people and products, governments and local governments are investing heavily in transport. The most traditional approach adopted for the solution of transportation problems is to increase public transport by reducing the usage of private vehicles. In this context, it is inevitable that developed and developing countries with aging populations will tend to understand the transportation behaviors of elderly individuals with the high level of vehicle dependence. The topic of how aging affects the transportation and urban use systems and how transport and urban use systems affect the mobility of the aged is of great importance. The effect of aging on these systems is usually discussed in the concept of traffic safety. In this study, it is aimed to determine the parameters affecting the mobility of the elderly individuals and to determine the transportation policies to increase the mobility which is a positive effect on the quality of life of the elderly individuals. It is understood that much of the previous work belongs to the developed countries, whose elderly populations are growing rapidly, and there are very few studies regarding developing countries like our country. In this respect, with the help of the study it is aimed to contribute to the current literature in understanding the mobility of elderly individuals living in our country and other developing countries. The behavior of elderly people aged 65 years and over using public transportation in İzmir city is analyzed by using electronic fare collection system smart card data. The movements of elderly people in the public transport system were examined by Student's T-test and one-way analysis of variance, and the results were evaluated in terms of space and transportation planning. Thesis results show that elderly individuals are not a homogeneous group. However, gender, age group and distance from urban centers have an impact on the mobility of elderly individuals. Men are more mobile than women. It has been determined that there is a significant decrease in the mobility of individuals, especially those aged 75 years or older, compared to those aged 65-74. It has been seen that the individuals who reside thirty kilometers away from the city center are less mobile than those who reside nearby.