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'I was beyond lonely – I rode the bus just so I could chat to somebody'

An elderly senior man person waiting for public transport at a bus stop in a town. Aberystwyth Wales UK - keith morris / Alamy Stock Photo
An elderly senior man person waiting for public transport at a bus stop in a town. Aberystwyth Wales UK - keith morris / Alamy Stock Photo

Maria Jones had just finished teaching a yoga class when she happened to notice an elderly man walking around by himself in the city centre of Aberdeen. “It was a freezing winter’s afternoon,” she says, “and he looked very cold.” So Maria asked him if he would like to warm up in a cafe.

In Greggs, as they shared a packet of Ferrero Rocher over a coffee, Maria learned that Tom, who is 83, had left his home that day for the first time in three years, driven by acute loneliness to take a ride on the bus.

“He lives alone and hadn’t been out since before lockdown but said he loves chatting,” Maria says. “He just needed to be around other people after all that time. He’d taken two different buses that day.”

elderly couple on public transport rural bus service, norfolk, england - David Burton / Alamy Stock Photo
elderly couple on public transport rural bus service, norfolk, england - David Burton / Alamy Stock Photo

According to Age UK’s new research 1.1 million older people rely on using public transport for company. While health and mobility issues can lead to social isolation, the legacy of lockdown, coupled with the devastating effect of the cost of living crisis, have contributed to a loneliness epidemic among the UK’s older population.

“No one missed ‘stuff’ during the pandemic,” says London-based senior therapist Sally Baker. “What broke our hearts was the loss of human connection.” She understands why travelling on public transport can help to alleviate loneliness, offering a setting for conversations to spark up:

“Sitting side by side is often less inhibiting than direct eye contact. For instance, I always recommend clients facing difficulties in their relationships take a walk together rather than sitting across a table.”

Plus, she adds, “public transport is transitory and temporary. A conversation may feel intimate at the time, but when you step away it is over.”   In some ways that’s very freeing. Who hasn’t heard a condensed life story – with startling detail – on a lengthy train journey?

However Age UK is aware that many older people feel worried about getting out and about, with 38 per cent saying they don’t feel confident using public transport following the pandemic. That’s why the charity has launched its Travelling Companions programme. Aiming to reduce social isolation, it has been designed to help older people to reconnect with their local communities, friends and family, and get out and about independently.

The pilot project is being funded by the Department for Transport and delivered through seven local Age UKs across the country, enabling the charity to test and learn in a variety of settings, such as north and south, and rural and suburban locations.

Local Age UKs work with the older person to understand their current situation, and what their concerns about travelling might be. The person is then helped to identify steps that could improve their situation, and matched with a trained Age UK volunteer Travelling Companion to work through a support plan.

One man, who at 80 has been helped by the scheme, says: “I have lost my confidence since lockdown and have been stuck inside a small flat which has made my world seem very small. The Travelling Companions programme is making my world a lot bigger and brighter. I hope to gain more confidence and to be able to go outside on my mobility scooter and go on a journey to see the river and visit a local charity shop.”

Elderly man passenger passengers wearing paper Covid mask pandemic masks sitting travelling on a bus in Cardiff Wales UK 2021 - Kathy deWitt / Alamy Stock Photo
Elderly man passenger passengers wearing paper Covid mask pandemic masks sitting travelling on a bus in Cardiff Wales UK 2021 - Kathy deWitt / Alamy Stock Photo

Maria Jones, who specialises in chair yoga classes for older people, says, “It’s only fairly recently that we’re seeing many older people venturing out of their homes for the first time since the pandemic. We can’t ignore the devastating effect that loneliness has on people’s lives.”

Travelling can be an important gateway in tackling social isolation. ‘So many older people are telling Age UK they feel lonely and cut off from their communities,’ says Hannorah Lee, director of partnerships at Age UK.

“Travelling Companions is a fantastic way to give older people the confidence they need to make the most of public transport available in their areas. But there’s so much more we need to do to really tackle the epidemic levels of loneliness amongst older people – and we urge Telegraph readers to donate whatever they can to help Age UK be here for more older people when they need us most.”

When her mum passed away 25 years ago Sally Baker found herself taking bus journeys simply so she could connect with women of a similar age to her late mother, and chat to them. “Mum’s unexpected death completely derailed me,” she says.

“I was beyond lonely. But I’ve sat on buses as recently as last week, and a woman spoke to me out of the blue about her daughter who had died. I listened and touched her arm lightly and expressed my sadness for her loss.

“She had obviously wanted to open up and talk. It’s that human need for connection that almost all of us have. And all I could do was help her to feel heard.”

Age UK is one of four charities supported by this year’s Telegraph Christmas Charity Appeal. The others are Macmillan Cancer Support, RBLI and Action for Children. To make a donation, please visit telegraph.co.uk/2022appeal or call 0151 284 1927.