Understanding How a Public Transportation Network Training Program Can Improve the Self-Efficacy, Satisfaction and Experience of Community Mobility Among People with Disabilities: A Mixed Methods Research

The <i>Réseau de transport de la Capitale</i> (RTC), Quebec City’s public transportation provider, has launched a training program to enhance skills and self-efficacy for using the bus, including training for people with disabilities: “<i>Service d’accompagnement en mobilité intégrée</i> (SAMI)”. This pre-post study with a convergent mixed approach aimed to evaluate the influence of the SAMI program (P-SAMI) on transportation self-efficacy, mobility and satisfaction with the bus use among people with disabilities. The study also explored people with disabilities’ experiences and perceptions with the P-SAMI and bus use. The P-SAMI was delivered, and questionnaires and semi-structured interviews were completed before and after P-SAMI. Paired <i>t</i>-tests, Wilcoxon tests, and deductive thematic analyses were performed. Thirty-three participants (53.7 ± 14.9 years-of-age) showed statistically significant gains in transportation self-efficacy (<i>p</i> < 0.01) and satisfaction with bus use (<i>p</i> < 0.01), with no statistically significant differences in mobility (<i>p</i> > 0.05). Qualitative findings confirmed enhanced transportation self-efficacy and satisfaction with bus use, with participants reporting using buses to carry out some daily activities. The P-SAMI shows promise for improving transportation self-efficacy and satisfaction with using the bus, with the potential to enhance participation in daily activities. Controlled trials should be conducted in the future to test the effectiveness of transportation training for people with disabilities.