Wheeled Mobility Use on Accessible Fixed-Route Transit: A Field Study in Environmental Docility

Area of Science:

• Human Factors and Ergonomics
• Transportation Accessibility
• Rehabilitation Engineering

Background:

• Qualitative studies document usability barriers for wheeled mobility device users on public transit.
• Existing accessibility standards may not fully address practical usability challenges.

Purpose of the Study:

• To quantify the relationship between functional capabilities of wheeled mobility device users and their ingress-egress performance on public transit.
• To examine usability barriers through the lens of the Environmental Docility Hypothesis.

Main Methods:

• Twenty-eight wheeled mobility users completed three trips on an urban public transit system.
• Ingress-egress times, user-reported usability ratings, and comments were collected and analyzed.
• Regression analyses examined interactions between user capabilities and performance metrics.

Main Results:

• Significant interactions between age and minimum parallel-park length affected ingress-egress times.
• Lower functional capability (older age, less maneuvering ability) correlated with longer ingress-egress times.
• Users reported difficulties with ramps, turning maneuvers, and proximity to other passengers.

Conclusions:

• Transit vehicle design presents substantial usability barriers for wheeled mobility users, despite meeting accessibility standards.
• Environmental Docility Hypothesis provides a framework for understanding person-environment interactions in transit usability.
• Identifying modifiable factors is crucial for improving public transit usability for aging individuals and those with mobility impairments.