Emerging Resistance in the Digital Transformation of Public Transport: Older Passengers With Dementia and Experiences of Ecobiographical Disruption

The digital transformation of public transport is prone to resistance. Among the discontents of such transformation, older people and those living with cognitive impairments are repeatedly identified. Stereotypes assuming their innate resistance to technological change are widespread, but research shows that older people with dementia can have rich digital lives. This paper reports findings from an ethnography of public transport digital transformation with older passengers living with dementia in Greater Manchester, UK. Combining interviews, photography, poetry, route maps and contextual statistics, four cases illustrate the emergence of resistance to digital displays, cashless exchange, e‐ticketing and live routing. They reveal subtle, nuanced and contextually contingent resistances that emerge from digital transformation disrupting passenger ecobiographies—the rootedness of their lives in longstanding ecosystems. Findings show that everyday resistance can be small, transient and relational, and should be taken seriously as an indicator of potential injustices. Future initiatives should meaningfully include older and disabled users throughout to increase alertness to ecobiographical disruption and emerging resistance.