Accessibility to public transport is a necessity for persons with impairments (PwI) and should be designed accordingly. Legislation has been drawn up by governing bodies in an attempt to create inclusive transport for bus users. However, this legislation is not going far enough to ensure all bus stakeholders are catered for, and much less to ensure a range of PwI are considered. It is common for bus companies to consider their vehicles accessible but often only those with visible mobility issues are considered. This thesis set out to develop a concept of an inclusive city, public transport bus considering the needs of four main categories of persons with impairments including persons with: mobility, vision, hearing, and cognitive impairments. The approach taken was first to understand the current layout of city buses and identify barriers that PwI may face. This was carried out on various bus routes throughout Milan. A common issue was identified across all routes, that is, provisions and accessibility aids are in place to support PwI however, they are either not available due to non-priority users occupying them, drivers refusing to assist (such as deploying the ramp) or the aid being out of order or not working in its full capacity. Next, a critical analysis was made of accessibility aids available to be utilised in public transport, including ramps, wheelchair securement methods and audio-visual announcements. To ensure the feasibility of the concept a stakeholder analysis was performed to understand the needs of all who are involved with the bus, including passengers, PwI, persons with pushchairs and non-priority users, as well as those who are not customers such as drivers, operators, and manufacturers. The concept was generated using the Japanese principle Poka-yoke: far from the rush hours, the users are not given the option as to whether they will leave a priority space free for a priority user, but instead, they are physically stopped from accessing it. The physical barriers moves away during the peak hour, increasing the space available for all the passengers. Another key aspect was to create solutions that reduced the responsibility of the driver by implementing technology that allows them to provide assistance from the drivers’ cab. The final concept consisted of 70-person capacity bus with two distinct and physically separated sections. The front, priority section is to be accessed only by PwI through an encrypted card. This section comprises of 2 wheelchair/pushchair combined spaces, 7 priority seats, 2 non-priority seats and a storage section to secure shopping trolleys and larger items. The rear section of the bus is open to all passengers, the aim of this section was to maximise standing capacity while ensuring comfort and safety. The sections are separated by a rotating barrier allowing bus operators to control the capacity of each section depending on the demand. In conclusion, an adaptable city bus with the needs of all stakeholders at the centre of the design has been developed. Meeting minimum requirements to accommodate PwI but also drivers and non-priority users.
L'accessibilità ai trasporti pubblici è una necessità per le persone con disabilità e i veicoli utilizzati dovrebbero essere progettati di conseguenza. Molte organizzazioni internazionale e nazionali per la normazione hanno redatto standard nel tentativo di creare un trasporto inclusivo per gli utenti degli autobus. Tuttavia, questa legislazione non considera tutti gli stakeholders interessati nella realizzazione dell’autobus né tanto meno le necessità delle persone con disabilità. È comune per le compagnie di autobus considerare l’accessibilità dei propri veicoli, ma spesso vengono presi in considerazione solo persone con problemi di mobilità visibili. Questa tesi ha l’obiettivo di sviluppare un concept per un autobus destinato al trasporto pubblico urbano considerando le esigenze di quattro categorie principali di persone con disabilità: disabilità motorie, visive, uditive e cognitive. L'approccio adottato è stato innanzitutto quello di comprendere la disposizione attuale degli autobus urbani e di identificare le barriere che le persone con disabilità possono incontrare. Ciò è stato effettuato su diverse linee di autobus in tutta Milano. Sono stati così individuati problemi comuni su tutte le rotte: (i) gli spazi dedicati non sono disponibili a causa di utenti non-prioritari che li occupano, (ii) alcuni conducenti non prestano adeguata assistenza (come per l'apertura della rampa) o (iii) i dispositivi sono fuori servizio o comunque non funzionano adeguatamente. Successivamente, è stata effettuata un'analisi critica degli ausili di accessibilità disponibili per essere utilizzati nei trasporti pubblici, comprese rampe, metodi di fissaggio delle sedie a rotelle e annunci audiovisivi. Per garantire la fattibilità del concept è stata eseguita un'analisi dei componenti per comprendere le esigenze di tutti coloro che sono coinvolti con l'autobus, inclusi passeggeri, persone con disabilità, persone con passeggini e utenti non prioritari, nonché coloro che non sono clienti come conducenti, operatori e produttori. Il concetto è stato generato utilizzando il principio giapponese “Poka-yoke”: agli utenti non-prioritari viene impedito fisicamente di accedervi di accedere agli spazi prioritari. Un altro aspetto fondamentale è stato quello di creare soluzioni che riducessero la responsabilità del conducente implementando una tecnologia che gli consentisse di fornire assistenza dalla cabina di guida. Il concept finale consiste in un autobus con una capacità di 70 persone con due sezioni distinte e fisicamente separate. La parte anteriore, prioritaria, è accessibile solo alle persone con disabilità attraverso una tessera crittografata. Questa sezione comprende 2 spazi combinati per sedia a rotelle/passeggino, 7 posti prioritari, 2 posti non prioritari e una sezione portaoggetti per proteggere i carrelli della spesa e gli articoli più grandi. La sezione posteriore dell'autobus è aperta a tutti i passeggeri, l'obiettivo di questa sezione era massimizzare la capacità in piedi garantendo comfort e sicurezza. Le sezioni sono separate da una barriera rotante che consente agli operatori di autobus di controllare la capacità di ciascuna sezione in base alla domanda. In conclusione, è stato sviluppato un autobus urbano adattabile con le esigenze di tutte le parti interessate al centro della progettazione in modo da soddisfare i requisiti minimi per ospitare persone con disabilità ma anche dei conducenti e degli utenti non prioritari.
A conceptual design of an accessible city bus
JACKSON, SOPHIE
2020/2021
Abstract
Accessibility to public transport is a necessity for persons with impairments (PwI) and should be designed accordingly. Legislation has been drawn up by governing bodies in an attempt to create inclusive transport for bus users. However, this legislation is not going far enough to ensure all bus stakeholders are catered for, and much less to ensure a range of PwI are considered. It is common for bus companies to consider their vehicles accessible but often only those with visible mobility issues are considered. This thesis set out to develop a concept of an inclusive city, public transport bus considering the needs of four main categories of persons with impairments including persons with: mobility, vision, hearing, and cognitive impairments. The approach taken was first to understand the current layout of city buses and identify barriers that PwI may face. This was carried out on various bus routes throughout Milan. A common issue was identified across all routes, that is, provisions and accessibility aids are in place to support PwI however, they are either not available due to non-priority users occupying them, drivers refusing to assist (such as deploying the ramp) or the aid being out of order or not working in its full capacity. Next, a critical analysis was made of accessibility aids available to be utilised in public transport, including ramps, wheelchair securement methods and audio-visual announcements. To ensure the feasibility of the concept a stakeholder analysis was performed to understand the needs of all who are involved with the bus, including passengers, PwI, persons with pushchairs and non-priority users, as well as those who are not customers such as drivers, operators, and manufacturers. The concept was generated using the Japanese principle Poka-yoke: far from the rush hours, the users are not given the option as to whether they will leave a priority space free for a priority user, but instead, they are physically stopped from accessing it. The physical barriers moves away during the peak hour, increasing the space available for all the passengers. Another key aspect was to create solutions that reduced the responsibility of the driver by implementing technology that allows them to provide assistance from the drivers’ cab. The final concept consisted of 70-person capacity bus with two distinct and physically separated sections. The front, priority section is to be accessed only by PwI through an encrypted card. This section comprises of 2 wheelchair/pushchair combined spaces, 7 priority seats, 2 non-priority seats and a storage section to secure shopping trolleys and larger items. The rear section of the bus is open to all passengers, the aim of this section was to maximise standing capacity while ensuring comfort and safety. The sections are separated by a rotating barrier allowing bus operators to control the capacity of each section depending on the demand. In conclusion, an adaptable city bus with the needs of all stakeholders at the centre of the design has been developed. Meeting minimum requirements to accommodate PwI but also drivers and non-priority users.| File | Dimensione | Formato | |
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2022_04_Jackson.pdf
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https://hdl.handle.net/10589/186410