D1.1.1. Report on Study Cases and Recommendations for Demonstration Projects. Accessibility and Safety.

Report, 2014

The overall purposes of the 3iBS project were to promote and exploit key findings from research on bus systems, exploit and implement key solutions, and promote the dissemination and exchange of knowledge on a global scale. The exploitation of earlier results and further development of selected areas are to help to make future bus systems more attractive for passengers, more efficient and economic to operate as well as more environmentally friendly, and at the same time reinforce the position of the European Bus Industry – in Europe and elsewhere.
 
The project was organised into three main work packages (WP) where WP1 focuses the following key topics: accessibility and safety; optimized accessibility and operations during special events;modularity, internal and external; energy strategy, including efficiency and management; IT standardized platform for bus system; intermodality with other public transport and complementary transport modes; and level of services.
 
In WP1.1. the first of the seven topics mentioned earlier was addressed. This deliverable, D1.1.1. “Study Cases and Recommendations for Demonstration Projects”, describes the results from the first of three tasks. It summarizes the results of an inventory of relevant projects, describes the study cases and the results of a cross case analysis, and presents recommendations for demonstration projects.
 
The inventory showed that a large number of projects has addressed accessibility, in particular the accessibility for travellers with disabilities. Less focus seems to have been given safety (and security) in public transport. 
 
Measures to improve bus stops and stations typically seem to involve the reduction of physical barriers by shrinking for instance the gaps between platform and vehicle. A few projects have addressed the issue of accessibility by other means, for instance by improved lighting. Overall, considering the physical design of bus stops and stations from a cognitive and an affective accessibiity perspective (e.g. perceived safety and security) appears less investigated compared to physical design from a physical accessibility perspective.
 
Measures targeting vehicles concern the introduction of low floor buses, with positive consequences for all travellers, and/or the introduction of different ramps and appropriate space onboard to facilitate access to travellers using a wheelchair. Few projects seem to have, however, considered other features in the interior of the bus, including colours, materials, lighting, etc. from an accessibility and/or from a safety perspective. The interior of buses is an area where more radical innovations could lead to increased safety and security as well as improve the attractiveness of the bus system and hence the public transport system. Such examples appear to be rare.
 
A considerable part of earlier projects has involved the development of information and information systems including dynamic information for all travellers, such as real-time information and travel information on the Internet. Information services have also been developed with a content adapted to the needs of travellers with special needs, such as web-services describing the physical accessibility of stations and vehicles. Furthermore have different technical solutions been introduced to increase users’ accessibility to information, for instance by providing audio-information and information in braille to travellers with reduced eyesight. 

New ticketing systems involve the introduction of e-ticketing (smart card, payment by mobile phone), but a few also the principles behind. However, the focus has most often not been elderly travellers or travellers with special needs. Even though a large number of elderly and people with different disabilities use credit cards, smart cards, and smart phones, etc. there are also large groups that do not. Given the considerable efforts to make public transport available to elderly travellers and travellers with disabilities it is somewhat surprising that this function has not been included in accessibility initiaties. It is therefore important to investigate how present and future elderly travellers perceive such new ticketing systems solutions. Another challenge that has to be highlighted is how the introduction of contactless cards (using for example RFID or NFC technologies) for ticketing combined with other services can be integrated with old ticketing system concepts to make seamless travel possible for everyone.

Overall, some earlier projects have focused a specific solution to improve (primarily) accessibility, whereas other projects have taken a systems approach in modifying and improving different parts of the bus system. Elderly (in general) have been a particular target group as have travellers using a wheelchair whereas travellers with other types of disabilities (mental/cognitive) do not seem to have received the same attention. The described projects and interventions have in most cases been evaluated from a traveller perspective but there are also examples where no evaluations by travellers have been conducted (or the evaluations have not been made available). It is difficult to judge if the evaluations have been made within a short time after the introduction of the intervention or after a longer time (months or years after the introduction). Whether a vehicle is accessible for a traveller using a wheelchair can be evaluated immidiately after a change (in terms of e.g. a ramp) has been introduced but if the system is made accessible is also a question of, for instance the number of buses equipped with ramps, the knowledge and attitudes of drivers and other travellers, and the perception and attitude of the traveller. System accessibility is, hence, more difficult to assess and in most cases such evaluations can probably not be completedd until a certain level of dissemination has been reached and time has passed. Long-term evaluations on the effects of interventions appear rare.