Mobility on Demand for Everybody—Investigation of the Current Challenges in Establishing Ride-Pooling Services for Persons with Mobility Impairments in Germany
Abstract
:1. Introduction
2. Literature Review
2.1. To Be Mobile
2.2. Different Users’ Requirements
- School and college students: This group’s most common travel time is in the morning rush hours between 6 and 9 a.m. The most crucial factor in their mobility choice is the ability to plan, as they must reach their destination by a certain time (8 a.m. in the case of school pupils). Security services are also required for children. Additionally, the service must be cost-effective and remain affordable to students in the long term.
- People in employment: This group constitutes the bulk of travelers during the morning and evening peak hours. Nearly 27% of overall daily traffic is in the rush hour [2]. Morning traffic is more congested than in the evening, as many people work only part-time and leave work earlier in the afternoon. Due to workplace time constraints, people need to be able to plan their journeys. Thus, flexibility and cost are major factors in this group’s choice of mobility service.
- Temporarily mobility-impaired persons: This group includes various categories, such as pregnant women, people with heavy luggage, and tourists. The main consideration for this group is to have a short walking distance to a virtual stop combined with a reliably calculable walking time. For pregnant women or a person with a broken leg, for example, a short walking distance is a major consideration.
- Long-term mobility-impaired persons: This group covers persons with long-term health impairments or age-related impediments. They require a mobility service that they can use without assistance or accompaniment. Besides offering barrier-free services, the vehicle must be easy to find. As nearly 6% of the population in Germany has no access to the internet [17], it must be possible to book the service via a variety of platforms.
2.3. Current Requirements of Barrier-Free Mobility in Public Transport
- Priority seats: At least 10% of the seating in each carriage must be prioritized for disabled travelers or those with reduced mobility. An accompanying person is allowed to sit next to them. These seats are marked as such and located close to the exit.
- Wheelchair spaces: One to four wheelchair spaces must be provided, depending on the length of the train. There must be enough space to accommodate a wheelchair facing either in or opposite the direction of travel plus sufficient space beside the wheelchair to enable wheelchair users to move their hands freely. In addition, there must be a travel companion seat for each wheelchair space.
- Floor level changes: Obstacles or steps between the vehicle and the entry, inner space, and the universal toilet should be avoided. Otherwise, a hoist will be needed, although ramps may be an alternative. Depending on the length of the ramp (above or below 840 mm) and the carriage type (single or double deck), the maximum slope must be between 6.25% and 15%.
- Seats for disabled passengers: These must be located near a service door suitable for both entry and exit and must be oriented in or opposite the direction of travel. Sufficient space for a disabled person’s dog must be provided under or adjacent to this seat.
- Wheelchair spaces: The space for a wheelchair must be at least 750 mm wide and 1300 mm long and designed for the wheelchair to face in or opposite the direction of travel. The floor in this space may have a maximum slope of 5% and must be designed to be slip-resistant. An exception applies to parking spaces in buses where no occupant restraint systems are prescribed. In this case, the longitudinal slope may be up to 8% if the wheelchair user is facing the direction opposite to the direction of travel and the edge of the parking space in the front direction of travel is lower than the edge in the rear direction of travel.
- Path to the wheelchair space: Between the disabled seat or wheelchair space and at least one entrance/exit, the slope of the floor must not exceed 8%. Furthermore, the sloping areas must be provided with a non-slip surface. The path must be sufficiently spacious so that a defined reference wheelchair can be maneuvered alone and there are no obstacles that might hinder the wheelchair user.
- Safety: If a passenger restraint system is required, the wheelchair space must be designed to face in the direction of travel and must be equipped with a wheelchair and passenger restraint system.
2.4. New Mobility Services
2.5. Automobile Manufacturers in Transition
3. Method
3.1. Participants Contributing to Situational Analysis
- Service provider
- Government agencies
- Funding project leaders
- Scientists
- Foundations
3.2. Approach Evaluation and Classification of the Statements
4. Results
4.1. Challenges and Pitfalls during the Booking Process up to the Start of the Journey
- Booking and paying for the service: “Very important with the new on-demand services is that here the access via apps, the ordering and payment is then also completely accessible and barrier-free.” Booking should be offered not only via an app. It must also be possible for passengers to book online and by phone. Visually impaired people need to be able to adjust the font size of their display dynamically. In addition, voice guidance must be available with adjustable tempo and sound volume. Small groups must also be able to make bookings for several vehicles together. In addition, a preset for users with special circumstances such as guide dogs or wheelchairs needs to be offered. Payment options should include PayPal, direct debit, and cash. The possibility of advance booking by purchasing a fare credit on an app should also be offered. Since most people travel daily for education or employment, displaying the arrival time would be a bonus. According to some experts, the legal obligation comes too late: “Barrier-free apps are not mandatory for private providers until 2025. In other words, the on-demand services that are already running now may not even be bookable, orderable, and affordable by severely visually impaired and disabled persons.”
- Reaching the stop: One expert described a concrete use case: “For me, one of the biggest sticking points is when there are no more stops. How will the blind person find the vehicle? How will the driver find the blind person? So how do they find each other if one of them can’t see?” A route description with voice navigation should be offered to find the virtual stop. Door-to-door service must be offered to passengers with disabilities and the location of the virtual stop must be displayed. The user needs to be able to view and adjust the walking time to the stop. Reducing possible sources of confusion increases the level of recognition and trust. The correct destination must be displayed on the outside of the vehicle; this is particularly important in view of the growing number of vehicles envisaged in the future. Where necessary, the user must also be able to consult the driver.
- Boarding and alighting without assistance: A simple platform with an adjustable angle that extends to the outside of the vehicle is required. Boarding must be carried out from the side of the vehicle so the traffic behind is not obstructed. The ramp must be fully automatic and descend safely onto the pavement. Other experts suggest providing a hoist to assist wheelchair users in steep environments. “In the long term, this will no longer be the case. At some point, there will no longer be an attendant and then the ramp will have to be fully automated,” noted an expert from a transport company.
4.2. Obstacles and Requirements for Barrier-free Accessible Passenger Vehicles
- Provide accessible transport for wheelchairs (electric and non-electric)
- Improve information systems (auditory and visual feedback)
- Make vehicles accessible for guide dogs
- Provide adjustable seats for persons with macrosomia
- Provide training sessions for drivers
4.3. Challenges to Be Solved on the Road to Fair Mobility
5. Discussion
6. Conclusions
Author Contributions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Informed Consent Statement
Data Availability Statement
Acknowledgments
Conflicts of Interest
References
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Ranking | Category | Frequency |
---|---|---|
1 | Vehicle concept | 55 |
2 | Political requirements | 21 |
3 | Accessible transport market and the problems | 21 |
4 | The taxi industry | 17 |
5 | Social issues | 15 |
6 | Profitability and financing | 13 |
7 | Influences on the development | 13 |
8 | Local public transportation and accessibility | 13 |
9 | The travel companion | 9 |
10 | Autonomous vehicles | 8 |
11 | The technical implementation | 5 |
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Dorynek, M.; Aumüller, A.; Ma, J.; Rathsack, B.; Weidmann, J.; Bengler, K. Mobility on Demand for Everybody—Investigation of the Current Challenges in Establishing Ride-Pooling Services for Persons with Mobility Impairments in Germany. Disabilities 2022, 2, 247-263. https://doi.org/10.3390/disabilities2020018
Dorynek M, Aumüller A, Ma J, Rathsack B, Weidmann J, Bengler K. Mobility on Demand for Everybody—Investigation of the Current Challenges in Establishing Ride-Pooling Services for Persons with Mobility Impairments in Germany. Disabilities. 2022; 2(2):247-263. https://doi.org/10.3390/disabilities2020018
Chicago/Turabian StyleDorynek, Martin, Analena Aumüller, Jessica Ma, Björn Rathsack, Julian Weidmann, and Klaus Bengler. 2022. "Mobility on Demand for Everybody—Investigation of the Current Challenges in Establishing Ride-Pooling Services for Persons with Mobility Impairments in Germany" Disabilities 2, no. 2: 247-263. https://doi.org/10.3390/disabilities2020018