Ambulation Aid Use and User Performance for Transit Vehicle Interior Design

Abstract

Public transportation plays an important role in shaping urban quality of life. However, urban transportation design and policy-making lacks a strong human factors knowledge base for accommodating a functionally diverse ridership including the aging and mobility impaired. This study examines seating configurations in contemporary low-floor buses and user performance for mobility impaired passengers. Task times in sitting and rising were obtained in a laboratory study using a static full-scale low-floor bus mock-up from – cane users (n=10), walker users (n=22), persons with visual impairment (n=17), and without any impairments (n=17). Significant differences in sitting and rising times across longitudinal vs. transverse seats by user group are demonstrated along with regression estimates to facilitate design evaluations. Implications of these findings, recommendations for improved low-floor bus designs and the relevance of ergonomics methods for safety, usability, and efficiency are presented.