Языковой барьер и цифровизация ограничивают мобильность пожилых иммигрантов в канадских городах

Shaila Jamal, University of Toronto Public transit is often described as the backbone of an inclusive city. But for many older racialized immigrants, getting on a bus can also mean navigating fear, confusion and humiliation. Transit systems in Canadian cities are designed for English-speaking riders, and for immigrants, that’s not a minor inconvenience. It’s a barrier to independence and health access. For an ongoing study I am a part of, we interviewed 54 older racialized immigrants and conducted four subsequent co-design workshops to engage seniors’ ideas about improving transit in the Ontario city of Hamilton. We found that language barriers shape far more than communication. They affect whether older adults can travel without assistance, access essential services and feel that they belong in the city at all. This matters because Canadian cities are rapidly aging and becoming more diverse. According to Statistics Canada, immigrants make up nearly one-quarter of Canada’s population. Many older immigrants also arrive later in life with limited English proficiency. In Hamilton, Arabic is now the most commonly spoken non-official language. Yet transit systems continue to operate largely as though all riders can easily read schedules, understand announcements and navigate digital apps in English. The result is a hidden form of mobility exclusion. The study’s initial findings indicate that many older immigrants struggle with basic but critical parts of everyday travel with transit. Some of these aspects of the journey include understanding bus route changes, reading stop information, communicating with drivers and passengers and using transit apps. Some described taking the wrong bus and ending up far from home because they could not understand route names or numbers or announcements and could not ask the driver to stop and drop them at their intended stop. One participant, a 75-year-old woman who immigrated to Canada nine years ago from East Asia, accidentally boarded the wrong bus because she could not distinguish between two route variations. Instead of reaching her destination in Ancaster, she ended up in Dundas, almost 10 to 12 kilometres away. Another participant described crying after getting lost because she could not read bus signs or ask for help in English. These inconveniences are not isolated events. They have cumulative effects on people’s lives. Public transit is essential for accessing groceries, medical appointments, religious institutions and social activities, especially for older adults who do not drive. When commuting becomes stressful or intimidating for older racialized immigrants, they begin avoiding unfamiliar trips altogether. Some restrict themselves to only a few familiar routes. Others rely heavily on family members, taxis or community organizations for help. The shift to digital-first transit information compounds the problem. Language barriers and digital exclusion reinforce each other, narrowing the routes available even further. Many transit systems increasingly depend on smartphone apps, online updates and digital payment systems. But many older racialized immigrants have limited digital literacy and cannot take advantage of these systems. Some are not even aware they can change language settings on their phones. One study participant lost about $100 worth of paper transit tickets during the COVID-19 pandemic because she didn’t receive the notices — which were in English and mostly on digital platforms — announcing the transition away from paper fare systems in Hamilton. Over time, this can deepen social isolation and reduce independence. What also emerged from our research was the resilience inherent in this cohort and their communities. Older immigrants constantly develop strategies to navigate systems not designed for them. Many memorize routes and landmarks instead of reading maps. Others rehearse trips in advance, ask family members to write instructions in English to show to strangers along the way or depend on ethnic community networks for support. Some, with limited knowledge of English, rely on bus drivers or strangers to tell them when to get off. Community organizations and settlement workers often serve as informal mobility guides, helping older immigrants interpret transit information and learn to navigate the city. These support systems, however, cannot replace the need for inclusive transit design. The burden should not fall entirely on older immigrants to adapt to systems that overlook linguistic diversity. Creating inclusive transit does not require reinventing public transportation. There are several practical and achievable solutions such as multilingual transit information, simplified signage and visual way-finding tools. Culturally responsive driver training, patience-first service, slow and plain-language communication, universal hand gestures and community-based transit workshops delivered in multiple languages can also help ease the challenge. All of these were suggested by the study participants. Improving language accessibility is not simply about customer service. It’s about mobility justice and recognizing that the ability to move confidently through a city shapes health, social participation and dignity. As cities across Canada work toward becoming more age-friendly and inclusive, transportation planning must also better reflect the realities of aging immigrants. Otherwise, many will continue to experience the city not as a place of belonging, but as a landscape of uncertainty and exclusion. Shaila Jamal, is a Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Human Geography, University of Toronto.