An experimental study has been made of boarding and alighting on four different buses with a sample of 55 ambulatory disabled people. The design features of the buses which were liked by these people included the reduced step height offered by the split-step atlantean and the kneeling national, hand-rail dimensions of 3 cm diameter and reversed front seats which allow improved leg room. Walking to and from seats while the bus is in motion causes problems for disabled people; experimental and fieldwork data suggest that allowing such people to get to and from their seats while the bus is staionary would not add significantly to total running times. It is estimated that approximately 1.2 million people could make greater use of buses if all vehicles were built to the design standards found most suitable in the experiment. (Author/publisher)
Abstract