There's always a union guy going "what about the elderly"
At what point do we drop this nonsense? Like when posters on here start collecting their pensions will some union Luddite still be saying "what about the elderly" in reference to technological change/phasing things out after people have had decades to adapt?
So life expectancy in the UK is a little over 80 now.
Direct debit was agreed to by UK banks in 1964, it got widespread use, according to Wikipedia citing the creator's obituary, at the end of that decade, so today's 80-year-olds were in their
late 20s when it was widely adopted.
The first ATM installed in the UK was in London, 1967, I guess it took time for them to get established but again you're probably looking at today's 80-year-olds being in their 30s when they were widespread.
The world wide web was made available to the general public in 1991 when today's 80-year-olds were around 49, obviously, it wasn't adopted at that time by everyone (far from it) but over the years people have got online, someone in their 70s has had a couple of decades now to learn how to operate a PC and to use a web browser!
I remember doing work experience in a bank as a teenager, I was shadowing the financial advisors but one day I spent the morning at the counters - middle age women would come in with their debit cards, go up to the counter and ask to withdraw some cash... I just don't understand that mentality, I guess some of them like to have a natter but there were literally ATMs both in the wall outside and a couple of machines inside too + a machine to pay in cash, yet these dinner lady types came in to use the counter regardless.
There is rarely any need for people to go to a physical bank, it's nice to have occasionally but honestly, I'd be fine with my bank only having a couple of dozen branches in major city centres. The only time I've been in person recently is to pay in some cash and even then I was just walking in to use a machine, that's something that can be done at a post office too. That is perhaps the main thing that isn't substituted online; small businesses that take in a lot of cash have to drop it off but that in itself isn't a good reason to need entire branches to be kept open, perhaps they'll have to suck it up and drive a bit further or pay for a cash pickup.
I mean if they really want to do stuff in person I guess these elderly people can still queue up at a post office and pay in money, bills etc.. in person and annoy everyone waiting in line to actually use the postal system.